Community Chat

[DoneTryin]

She's a beautiful & talented lady who has had to deal with many troubles in her life. Her controlling father who not only ruled her career but also her personal life & then the awful physical assault. She's a survivor & deserves respect.

[Marienkaefer2]

On 8/13/2014 JeanLouiseFinch said:

Connie's no spring chicken anymore. She was quite a looker back in the day and could really sing. I saw her last night as well, and agree that her lips didn't seem right. But we've got to hand it to her and Patty Duke, two women who have seen extreme darkness and horrible treatment in their lives, but got the right help and were able to be victorious. The point, I think, is that if Karen Carpenter, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi, Heath Ledger, Robin Williams, (and the list goes on) could have latched onto a lifeline, their lives could have been much different.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you on one point. I'm not sure you can compare all of these people's situations equally. Depression is a form of mental illness. It's in the way the brain is wired. And I would venture to say that there is a spectrum in its severity. I would think the person who has it can do their best, but in some cases the disease wins out. Not for the lack of trying to control it. Sometimes it's just too much. In Robin Williams' case, my impression is that he did fight it valiantly. It was probably a victory for him that he lived to 63. For someone to kill themselves in such a way, the illness had to be pretty deep. I don't think it was a matter of him not trying as hard as he could. I think in the end, the illness just won out. Sometimes the illness is stronger. We seem to have this idea that if only you try hard enough, you can overcome it. But that isn't always the case. And I would also venture to say that for those that do seemingly overcome it, every day is a battle.

[ive been framed]

I always loved Connie's voice. I think her songs were the first few I ever heard when I was little, my mom was such a fan. Her songs and Patsy Cline's, too!

The photo of her reminds me of people who are taking steroids, like prednisone. They don't look quite like themselves but not because of surgery either.

[shy bobcat]

As we see a glimpse of the severe pain and struggle that mental illness has on those with this disease, I hope we can become more accepting of this often deadly disease. The stigma and embarrassment need to disappear and, insurance companies need to recognize that this disease needs to be treated like any other disease.

[luvmyteddy4]

Connie Stevens - a year older, an inch taller and they both did beach movies and sang in the early 60s. Connie Francis was a much better singer but I always liked Connie Stevens and I think she looks good for 76.

Connie S. today

[sophiamarie]

Some people age better than others.

I never thought Connie Francis was a good looking woman anyway. She has very hard features. It almost looks as though she had a chin implant but when I look at all her other pictures, she doesn't look all that different, just a lot older.

Connie Stevens looks great, as do a lot of others that age, eg: Jane Fonda for one.....Barbara Eden is another..... JMO

[lulu2]

On 8/13/2014 sophiamarie said:

Some people age better than others.

I never thought Connie Francis was a good looking woman anyway. She has very hard features. It almost looks as though she had a chin implant but when I look at all her other pictures, she doesn't look all that different, just a lot older.

Connie Stevens looks great, as do a lot of others that age, eg: Jane Fonda for one.....Barbara Eden is another..... JMO

I remember seeing an interview with Connie Francis. She had a tough time trying to break into the movies. Producer never thought she was pretty enough or thin enough to be a leading lady. She was in Where the Boys Are only because it was her hit song. Even then she was a supporting, sort of frumpy, character.

[kittymomNC]

On 8/13/2014 Marienkaefer2 said:

On 8/13/2014 JeanLouiseFinch said:

Connie's no spring chicken anymore. She was quite a looker back in the day and could really sing. I saw her last night as well, and agree that her lips didn't seem right. But we've got to hand it to her and Patty Duke, two women who have seen extreme darkness and horrible treatment in their lives, but got the right help and were able to be victorious. The point, I think, is that if Karen Carpenter, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi, Heath Ledger, Robin Williams, (and the list goes on) could have latched onto a lifeline, their lives could have been much different.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you on one point. I'm not sure you can compare all of these people's situations equally. Depression is a form of mental illness. It's in the way the brain is wired. And I would venture to say that there is a spectrum in its severity. I would think the person who has it can do their best, but in some cases the disease wins out. Not for the lack of trying to control it. Sometimes it's just too much. In Robin Williams' case, my impression is that he did fight it valiantly. It was probably a victory for him that he lived to 63. For someone to kill themselves in such a way, the illness had to be pretty deep. I don't think it was a matter of him not trying as hard as he could. I think in the end, the illness just won out. Sometimes the illness is stronger. We seem to have this idea that if only you try hard enough, you can overcome it. But that isn't always the case. And I would also venture to say that for those that do seemingly overcome it, every day is a battle.

Thank you so much for posting what you did. You are so right -- no matter how hard you fight it, and believe me it can be a life-long struggle of major proportions, sometimes the disease wins out. Anyone who has suffered from chronic depression, which can range from moderate to severe, will understand a lot about Robin Williams. This can be a very debilitating illness. Too many people don't even try to understand it, and think oh, you're just feeling down, get over it. But it is so not that simple.

And Connie Francis, after having been diagnosed as bi-polar and then suffering from her brutal attack, was diagnosed in 1981 as being manic-depressive, which is basically a more severe kind of bi-polar disorder. These illnesses are even more difficult to treat than depression. It's a real shame that it has taken so long for insurance companies to be forced to treat these illnesses the same as a physical illness, which was put into law with the ACA. They can no longer discriminate in their coverage between physical and mental illnesses. If this had happened a long time ago, there would probably be more people who would have suffered a lot less, and maybe many who would still be alive if they had been able to afford treatment.

I haven't seen her appearance, and I don't really care what she looks like. She has survived this long, and that makes her still a major "star" in my eyes. I was around when she first came on the scene as a singer...she was so talented, that voice could mesmerize you. So maybe some people can stop worrying about whatever kind of plastic surgery she's had or why she did it, and celebrate her for who she really is - A SURVIVOR!

[depglass]

Here's a shallow comment. If I ever get plastic surgery (lotto winnings, of course) I'm going to Joan River's surgeon.

[JeanLouiseFinch]

On 8/13/2014 Marienkaefer2 said:

On 8/13/2014 JeanLouiseFinch said:

Connie's no spring chicken anymore. She was quite a looker back in the day and could really sing. I saw her last night as well, and agree that her lips didn't seem right. But we've got to hand it to her and Patty Duke, two women who have seen extreme darkness and horrible treatment in their lives, but got the right help and were able to be victorious. The point, I think, is that if Karen Carpenter, Judy Garland, Marilyn Monroe, John Belushi, Heath Ledger, Robin Williams, (and the list goes on) could have latched onto a lifeline, their lives could have been much different.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with you on one point. I'm not sure you can compare all of these people's situations equally. Depression is a form of mental illness. It's in the way the brain is wired. And I would venture to say that there is a spectrum in its severity. I would think the person who has it can do their best, but in some cases the disease wins out. Not for the lack of trying to control it. Sometimes it's just too much. In Robin Williams' case, my impression is that he did fight it valiantly. It was probably a victory for him that he lived to 63. For someone to kill themselves in such a way, the illness had to be pretty deep. I don't think it was a matter of him not trying as hard as he could. I think in the end, the illness just won out. Sometimes the illness is stronger. We seem to have this idea that if only you try hard enough, you can overcome it. But that isn't always the case. And I would also venture to say that for those that do seemingly overcome it, every day is a battle.

Oh, absolutely. My comment was short, yet I didn't mean it as a generalization that all were equal in the severity of their own given illnesses. The point I was trying to make, even if clumsily, was that there is help out there. Many people white knuckle it when they don't have to. Maybe it was poor use of the word 'victorious'. As a daughter of someone who had severe mental issues and depression as far back as I can remember, spent time in an institution, received shock treatments, and became a drug abuser with legal prescriptions, I have witnessed firsthand that the illness is ever present and never goes away. Victorious, as I meant it, was more on a day to day basis of knowing how to manage their lives better, not a once for all cure kind of thing. Everyday the afflicted person needs to keep their medication levels in check, but they also need to put into practice the various coping techniques and strategies. If both aren't working in concert with one another, the illness will always win in the end.