Laura Branigan (news), the Grammy-nominated singer who shot to fame with her 1982 anthem "Gloria," died of a brain aneurysm Thursday at her home in East Quogue, New York. She was 47.



Branigan's death was confirmed by her Website, LauraBraniganOnline, which said she died in her sleep.

Her brother Mark Branigan told the Associated Press that she had complained to a friend that she'd been suffering from a headache for about two weeks, but failed to seek medical treatment before her death.

Originally a back-up vocalist for Leonard Cohen, Branigan hit it big in the early '80s as a solo artist on the strength of signature hit, "Gloria," off her 1982 self-titled debut album.

The song, a remake of a '70s Italian pop ditty, remained on the Billboard charts for an astonishing 36 weeks and garnered her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocalist, the first of four Grammy nods in that category over the course of her career.

Her follow-up, 1983's Branigan 2, spawned two more Top 10 hits: "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You," a power ballad cowritten by a then-unknown Michael Bolton (news), and "Solitaire." The title track off her next release, 1984's Self-Control, reached the Top 10, while another single, "The Lucky One," peaked in the Top 40.

Altogether, Branigan recorded seven albums, including 1985's Hold Me and 1987's Touch, which Top 40 singles "Spanish Eddie" and the ballad "The Power of Love," respectively.

Branigan also contributed songs to several movie soundtracks, including "Imagination" on Flashdance, which earned her a second Grammy nomination. Her tunes also turned up on the soundtracks to Ghostbusters, Coming to America, Body Rock and Salsa.

Branigan also racked up several acting credits, including a guest stint on CHiPs, and several low-budget films, the 1985 sorority farce Mugsy's Girls (aka Delta Pi) and the 1988 drama Backstage.

Born on July 3, 1957, in the upstate New York town of Brewster, Branigan began performing in her senior year of high school when she snagged the lead role in a musical production.

Following graduation, she decided to pursue a career in entertainment and moved to Manhattan where she attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts.

After touring Europe with the Canadian-born Cohen, she signed a solo record deal with Atlantic Records in 1982.

While Branigan's popularity waned in the '90s, she remained on the pop-culture radar. In 1994, she teamed up with David Hasselhoff (news) for a duet titled "I Believe," which was featured on the soundtrack to Baywatch.

The following year, she issued The Best of Branigan, a collection of 13 of her best known tracks.

She suffered a personal loss in 1996 with the death of her husband, Lawrence Kruteck. She largely retired from performing in the late '90s, before returning to the studio in 2001.

Branigan continued her comeback the following year with a star turn as Janis Joplin in the off-Broadway musical, Love, Janis.

Her most recent album was the 2002 greatest-hits compilation, The Essentials. Earlier this year, a CD single featuring several remixes of "Gloria" was released.



Branigan is survived by her mother, two brothers and a sister. A funeral service is scheduled for Monday.

Whoops! I did not know this was already posted

I am so sad to hear this... I loved that song...

She actually lived not to far from my boss...

Nikster said:

no prob, luv...here's the original thread, if people wanna join the thread already in progress:

http://www.prince.org/msg/8/112311