Despite her fame and musical success, her life was marked by deep personal tragedies, including surviving a brutal rape and losing her brother to a violent crime. Now, at 87 years old, she’s surprisingly back on the music charts thanks to a song she barely even remembers recording.
Her song “Pretty Little Baby”—a lesser-known B-side track from 1961, back when JFK was in the White House and Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand” was playing her records—has found new life online.
It’s taken TikTok by storm, with more than two million videos using the track, and it’s currently trending on Spotify’s Viral 50 chart. The sweet, romantic lyrics like “You can ask the flowers/I sit for hours/Telling all the bluebirds … Pretty little baby, I’m so in love with you” make it perfect for TikToks featuring pets, babies, or date night routines.
She admitted, “My initial response was to ask about TikTok ‘What’s that?'” before adding, “I am thrilled and overwhelmed at the success of ‘Pretty Little Baby.’ I recorded that song 63 years ago, and to know that an entire new generation now knows who I am, and my music, is thrilling to me.”
In 1974, just weeks before turning 38, she was performing at the Westbury Music Fair. That same night, a man armed with a knife broke into her motel room at a Howard Johnson’s just after 5:30 a.m. He assaulted her, tied her to a chair, and placed a mattress over her. He stole her mink coat and jewelry before fleeing. Sadly, the attacker was never found.
As if that wasn’t enough, soon after the attack, her third husband, Joseph Garzilli, left her. This was after she had supported him financially while he built a thriving travel business. She told The New York Times that his parting words to her were, “You’ve become a loser and I don’t like losers.”. Her first two marriages were also short-lived, each ending within just a few months.
In various interviews and in her bestselling memoir titled “Who’s Sorry Now?”, Connie shared that she spent many years in therapy, seeing numerous psychiatrists in hopes of healing from her experiences.
Authorities later revealed that the shooting appeared to be a mob-related hit. George had reportedly shared information with a state commission about suspected organized crime activity, and it was believed he had been worried about his safety.
At the time of his death, George was facing a prison sentence of up to three years due to a land fraud conviction. He had previously pleaded guilty to separate bank fraud charges in 1978 and received a suspended two-year sentence along with probation.
The two met in 1956 when Bobby walked into her office to share a song he had written. They clicked instantly and soon started exchanging heartfelt letters filled with affection and hope for the future.
“He was very sweet in all his letters.”, Connie wrote in her 2017 memoir titled “Among My Souvenirs.”. She also revealed, “In one he wrote that he knew his feelings were genuine, and that every time he thought of me, he felt a lump in his throat like the one you get when you’re going to cry.”