Lesley Gore, best known for her hit single, “It’s My Party,” died of lung cancer on February 16. She was 68 and had a home in Southampton for many years.
Ms. Gore was discovered by legendary music producer Quincy Jones when she was only 16. She has attributed her success to good luck and good connections. She has said of her rise in the industry, that “The short story and the truth is that I was taking vocal lessons here in New York ... One day, instead of my lesson, the piano player and I went into a studio ... and we put down some demos ... Those demos got to Quincy Jones through an agent ... He listened to them, he called me, and we started to record.”
She recorded several more songs while still in high school in her native New Jersey and after graduation attended Sarah Lawrence College, taking courses in literature and drama. It was while at college that she realized she was gay, although she did not make it public until after the height of her fame had passed.