Laura Branigan

Laura Ann Branigan, born July 3, 1952 in Mount Kisco, New York, was an American singer, songwriter and actress. After studying at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan, her recording career began in 1972 with the folk group Meadow; in 1976 she sang backing vocals for Leonard Cohen on his first European tour.

Signed by Ahmet Ertegun and Doug Morris to Atlantic Records in 1979, she achieved major commercial success in the 1980s. Her signature hit, a cover of Umberto Tozzi’s Gloria (1982), reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 36 weeks; it was also No. 1 in Australia and Canada. Her single Self Control (1984) reached No. 1 in Canada and Germany and No. 4 in the United States. Other notable hits include Solitaire (1983), How Am I Supposed to Live Without You (1983), which hit No. 1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart, the cover of Ti amo (1984), The Power of Love (1987) and Shattered Glass (1987), the latter reaching the US dance top 15.

Her best-selling album is Self Control (1984), certified platinum. She also contributed to film and TV soundtracks, including Flashdance (1983), Ghostbusters (1984) and Miami Vice (1984). In 1984 she won the Tokyo Music Festival with The Lucky One. Her music was influenced by artists such as Donna Summer, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight and Stevie Nicks.

Alongside her music career, she appeared in the films Mugsy’s Girls (1985) and Backstage (1988) and on TV series like CHiPS (1983) and Automan (1984). After releasing her seventh album, Over My Heart (1993), she largely left the industry to care for her husband Larry Kruteck, who died of cancer in 1996, and returned to the stage in the early 2000s to portray Janis Joplin in the musical Love, Janis.

Laura Branigan died in her sleep on August 26, 2004 in East Quogue, New York, from an undiagnosed cerebral aneurysm. In 2019 her song Gloria gained renewed attention after being adopted as a victory anthem by the NHL team St. Louis Blues, who won the Stanley Cup that year.