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NEW YORK (AP) – Singer-songwriter Lesley Gore, who topped the charts in 1963 with her epic song of teenage angst, “It’s My Party,” and followed it up with the hits “Judy’s Turn to Cry,” ”You Don’t Own Me” and the feminist anthem “You Don’t Own Me,” died Monday. She was 68.
Gore died of cancer at New York University Langone Medical Center in Manhattan, according to her partner of 33 years, Lois Sasson.
“She was a wonderful human being – caring, giving, a great feminist, great woman, great human being, great humanitarian,” Sasson, a jewelry designer, told The Associated Press.
Brooklyn-born and New Jersey-raised, Gore was discovered by Quincy Jones as a teenager and signed to Mercury Records. She graduated from Sarah Lawrence College with a degree in English/American literature.
Gore’s other hits include “She’s A Fool,” ”Sunshine, Lollipops and Rainbows,” ”That’s the Way Boys Are” and “Maybe I Know.” She co-wrote with her brother, Michael, the Academy Award-nominated “Out Here On My Own” from the film “Fame.”
She also played Catwoman’s sidekick in the cult TV comedy “Batman.”
In the 1990s, Gore co-wrote “My Secret Love” for Allison Anders’ film “Grace of My Heart,” released in 1996. A couple of years later, she appeared in “Smokey Joe’s Cafe” on Broadway. Gore had been working on a stage version of her life with playwright Mark Hampton when she died.
In 2005, she released “Ever Since,” her first album in 30 years, but was sure to revisit older hits in front of fans. “If I’ve learned anything in this business,” she told The New York Times that year, “how stupid would it be not to do ‘It’s My Party’ when people come to hear it?”
She officially came out to the public when she hosted several episodes of the PBS series, “In The Life,” which dealt with gay and lesbian issues.
In the last few years, she performed at Feinstein’s at the Loews Regency in New York and, along with Ronnie Spector and LaLa Brooks, headlined the “She’s Got the Power” concert outdoors at Lincoln Center in 2012.
In addition to Sasson, Gore is survived by her brother and mother, Ronny.
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