Connie Francis' friend tells PEOPLE about the final days before her death, saying she'd be 'smiling' knowing she 'left this world as big a star' as ever

Connie Francis’ "Everybody's Somebody's Fool," A detailed look at the beloved singer's first song to top the Billboard Hot 100.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Connie Francis, the angelic-voiced singer who was one of the biggest recording stars of the late 1950s and early 1960s, has died. She was 87. Her friend and publicist, Ron Roberts, announced the singer's death Thursday, according to the Associated Press.

Connie Francis, a pop singer and actress whose hits such as “Lipstick on Your Collar” and “Who’s Sorry Now?” became a soundtrack for a generation of teens in the 1960s, has died, according to a post from her publicist and friend,

American singer, who has died at age 87, is largely known for her resonant pop hits such as ‘Pretty Little Baby,’ but her unique talent is best heard in the many albums she recorded in international dialects.