"Gloria" singer Laura Branigan dies at age 47

NEW YORK — Laura Branigan, a Grammy-nominated pop singer best known for her 1982 platinum hit "Gloria," has died. She was 47.

Ms. Branigan died of a brain aneurysm Thursday in her sleep at her home in East Quogue, N.Y., said her brother Mark Branigan.

"Gloria," a signature song from her debut album "Branigan," stayed atop the pop charts for 36 weeks and earned her a Grammy nomination for best female pop vocalist, the first of four nominations in her career.

Ms. Branigan released seven albums after her debut "Branigan," and her songs appeared on soundtracks for the films "Flashdance" and "Ghostbusters."

Ms. Branigan was born July 3, 1957, and grew up in Brewster, N.Y. She attended the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Manhattan.

After the death of her husband, Lawrence Kruteck, in 1996, Ms. Branigan stopped performing but returned to the stage in 2001. In 2002 she starred as Janis Joplin in the Off-Broadway musical "Love, Janis," which earned her rave reviews.