‘It’s My Party’ Singer-Songwriter Lesley Gore dies at 68
Lesley Gore, who sang the classic song "It's My Party" died Monday at New York Presbyterian Hospital.
Singer-songwriter Lesley Gore topped the charts in 1963 with her epic song of teenage angst "It's My Party" and followed it up with the hits "Judy's Turn to Cry" and "You Don't Own Me" has died.
She was a wonderful human being - caring, giving, a great feminist, great woman, great human being, great humanitarian," Gore's partner Lois Sasson told the Associated Press.
While she remained best known for a song about being betrayed by her boyfriend, Gore also recorded one of pop's sharpest early feminist declarations, "You Don't Own Me."
Brooklyn-born and New Jersey-raised, Ms. Gore was discovered by Quincy Jones as a teenager and signed to Mercury Records. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in English/American literature.
In the 1990s, Ms. Gore co-wrote "My Secret Love" for Allison Anders' film "Grace of My Heart," released in 1996. A couple of years later, she appeared in "Smokey Joe's Cafe" on Broadway. Gore had been working on a stage version of her life with playwright Mark Hampton when she died.
"Quincy was smart enough to see this whole new youth market coming up," Gore told The News's Jim Farber in 2005. "He had been recording [older stars] like Dinah Washington and Brook Benton. So he put out a call for young singers. And one of my piano demos made it to his desk."
