Neighbors of Fame star Irene Cara say she became a hermit during her final ... trends now
The neighbors of Academy Award-winning singer and actress Irene Cara, who was found dead inside her Florida home last month, have said the 63-year-old songstress lived like a hermit and was obsessive when it came to her own privacy.
Cara, the singer of the hit 'Flashdance... What A Feeling' that earned her an Oscar in 1984, died on November 25.
Although she sung about Fame, she appeared to shun the notion in recent years.
'She was a recluse. She didn't talk to anyone,' Roseann Nolan, who lived across the street from Cara, told The New York Post. 'I didn't even know it was her living there until a few years ago. It was the best-kept secret ever.'
Another neighbor who also lived next door to her for years also tried to befriend her to perhaps go for a walk on the beach or have a drink without even knowing who she was also noted how she was a recluse and would never agree to meet up.
Irene Cara skyrocketed to stardom in 1984 with her title track pop classic for the iconic Flashdance
The neighbors of Academy Award-winning singer and actress Irene Cara who was found dead inside her Largo, Florida home last month have said the 63-year-old songstress lived like a hermit and was obsessive when it came to her own privacy
Academy Award-winning singer Irene Cara, 63, ( second from the left) was found dead inside her Florida home last month. Cara is pictured alongside (L-R) Flashdance star Jennifer Beals, songwriter Keith Forsey and actor Matthew Broderick
Irene Cara poses for a portrait in Los Angeles, California in 1983 at the height of her fame
'I'd text her or call her to invite her to come for a walk but I wouldn't hear back for days,' Maria Contreras, 59, The Post. 'She'd never call back using her cellphone. She called from her computer because she was worried about privacy. She didn't look well and she said she had health issues.'
Conteras noted that the only person to ever show up at her home was a gardener who should show up to mow the lawn.
'No one, including him, ever went inside her house. She greeted you outside by the garage. She got very angry with me when I took down a fence between our houses because I wanted to put a new one up. She sent me such crazy messages that I saved them on my phone. She was worried that she wouldn't be safe with the fence down, even for a day,' Contreras explained.
But Cara's rep and her manager of almost 20 years, Judith Moose and Betty McCormick, say Cara decided to get out of the movie and music business on her own terms, although she had been toying with a revival recently.
Irene Cara is pictured in a photograph from the 1970s
Cara became a household name following her Fame success, appearing with Dick Clark (left) on Disney's American Bandstand in 1983
Following appearances on TV on a starring role in a musical drama, Cara made waves in Fame, which earned her two Grammys. Pictured: Cara singing as Coco in the award-winning film
Pictured: Cara holding her Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a female singer. She released some of the early 80s' most-memorable hits
While no cause of death has yet been revealed, McCormick says drugs, alcohol nor even suicide played a part in her death.
'She was very afraid of getting the COVID virus,' McCormick said told The Post. 'She really struggled during that period.'
'We had wonderful conversations this past year. I think she was content with her life in some ways. She tried to stay in the game but she really got blackballed by corporate forces.' Moose said.
The pair both say Cara had essentially 'retired' from the business because she no longer liked the entertainment industry in LA.
Cara
