'It's My Party' singer-songwriter Lesley Gore dies at 68

In this Jan. 5, 1966, file photo, singer Lesley Gore rehearses at a piano, in New York.
In this Jan. 5, 1966, file photo, singer Lesley Gore rehearses at a piano, in New York.

NEW YORK -- A singer-songwriter 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" and "You Don't Own Me" has died. Lesley Gore was 68.

According to her partner of 33 years, Gore died Monday of cancer at New York-Presbyterian Hospital in Manhattan.

Brooklyn-born and New Jersey-raised, Gore was discovered by Quincy Jones as a teenager and signed to Mercury Records.

Gore's other hits include "She's A Fool," ''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."

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