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Singer Connie Francis hospitalized before LI concert

BY GLENN GAMBOA | glenn.gamboa@newsday.com

5:42 PM EDT, July 24, 2008

Singer Connie Francis was rushed to Long Island Jewish Medical Center for dangerously high blood pressure Wednesday night, shortly before she was to perform at The Capital One Bank Theatre at Westbury with Neil Sedaka.

Francis, 69, was admitted to the New Hyde Park hospital's coronary care unit, but was expected to be released Friday, according to her agent, Mike Church.

"She really wanted to do the show and she didn't want to disappoint her fans or her dear friend Neil Sedaka," Church said. "But her doctor told her that it would be dangerous."

Church said Francis -- known for a string of pop hits in the 1950s and '60s including "Who's Sorry Now?" and "Lipstick on Your Collar" -- was so intent on performing Wednesday night, she ordered her gowns to be taken to the theater so that once her blood pressure stabilized she could go on with the show. As showtime approached, however, her condition worsened and she was taken to the hospital.

Upon learning of Francis' illness, Sedaka returned to the theater early and performed an extended 95-minute set, according to Capital One Bank Theatre spokesman Dan Kellachan. Kellachan said the theater was making accommodations for Francis fans who left when her cancellation was announced.

Church said Francis is expected to make a full recovery. "We expect her to be back on her feet and out doing shows very soon," he said.

Francis has been in the midst of a career resurgence in recent years, with her tours, and with an "American Idol," contestant tackling her classic "Where the Boys Are" this past season.

She has bounced back from a bout with chronic depression that began in 1974, when she was raped and beaten in the Howard Johnson's motel in Westbury during a run at the Westbury Music Fair, and has gone on to become a spokeswoman for victims' rights.

But performing is where her heart is, said Church. "She tried her hardest to do the show," he said. "But her health had to come first."