here she is in 1984 at the oscars winning for best original song. she also won two grammys and a golden globe for the same song which is still on billboard s top 100 hot songs of all time. she was born irene escalada in new york city where she began her career as a child star. a regular on the children s show, the electric company. as a teenager, she played the title role in the 1976 musical sparkle about three sisters forming a singing group. the movie fame went on to become a popular tv series for six seasons. one of the show s stars, debbie allen, remembers cara with a tweet, saying my heart is broken. she was a gifted and beautiful genius. just 63 years old. thanks so much for watching. david muir right back here tomorrow night. i m linsey davis. good night.