Lesley Gore, of 'It's My Party' fame, is dead at 68

Lesley Gore, singer of &quot;It&#039;s My Party,&quot; is dead at 68

(Image credit: Keystone/Getty Images)

Singer-songwriter Lesley Gore died Monday at age 68. Gore, who scored a No. 1 hit with "It's My Party" at age 16, died of cancer in New York City, her partner of 33 year, Lois Sasson, told The Associated Press. "She was a wonderful human being — caring, giving, a great feminist, great woman, great human being, great humanitarian," Sasson told AP.

Along with a string of pop hits, Gore wrote some original songs for the 1980 film Fame, one of which, "Out Here on My Own," earned her an Oscar nomination. She was also Catwoman's sidekick Pussycat for two seasons of the original TV version of Batman. "It's My Party" was her biggest hit — also the first hit for producer Quincy Jones — but to remember Gore, here's her great follow-up single "You Don't Own Me." —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.