Lesley Gore

Launched to fame at the age of just sixteen, Lesley Gore became one of the most successful female vocalists of the late brill-building era before diversifying into the worlds of acting, song-writing and television presenting. Gore's debut single and signature hit, "It's My Party," reached the top of the US charts while she was still in high school in 1963, and was followed by a string of Top 10 singles which pursued a similarly irresistible girl group sound including sequel "Judy's Turn To Cry" and feminist anthem "You Don't Own Me." The hits began to dry up following her split with mentor Quincy Jones - although "California Nights," one of two songs she performed during her brief stint as Pussycat in "Batman" (ABC, 1966-68), returned her to the Top 20 in 1967 - and Gore spent most of the 70s performing on the cabaret scene. In 1981, she received an Oscar nomination for her contribution to the "Fame" (1980) soundtrack and following further film work on "Grace of My Heart" (1996) and a hosting gig on LGBT show "In The Life" (PBS, 1992-2012), Gore staged a comeback in 2005 with her first album of new material in nearly 30 years, Ever Since. She died of lung cancer on February 16, 2015.