Singer-songwriter Lesley Gore, whose hit It’s My Party topped the charts in 1963 when she was 17, has died.
Gore died Monday, Feb. 16 of cancer at a New York hospital. She was 68.
It’s My Party was nominated for a Grammy Award and sold over 1 million copies. Other Gore hits included Judy’s Turn to Cry and You Don’t Own Me.
Gore, born Lesley Sue Goldstein in Brooklyn and raised in Tenafly, N.J., was discovered by producer Quincy Jones as a teen and signed with Mercury Records.
She was nominated for an Oscar, with her brother Michael, for co-writing Out Here on My Own from the popular 1980s movie Fame.
She came out as a lesbian during a 2005 interview.
Gore is survived by her partner of 33 years, Lois Sasson; her mother, Ronnie; and her brother. (JTA)