Laura Branigan: Life Story and Beautiful Photos of a Grammy-nominated Pop Singer From her Life

Laura Branigan was a Grammy-nominated pop singer, songwriter, and actress. She rose to prominence through her cinematic, synth-driven, club-friendly dance-pop songs. Her song ‘Gloria’ reached number one in Australia and Canada. It also stayed on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 for 36 weeks. Two of her songs were selected for the movies ‘Flashdance’ and ‘Ghostbusters.’

Music career

Before entering the music world, Laura worked as a waitress. In 1972 she met guitarists Walker Daniels and Chirrs Van Cleave, and they formed a flock-rock band named ‘Meadow.’ The group released their first album ‘The Friend Ship’ in 1973. The album failed to gain any attention, and eventually, the band broke up. In 1982, she made her first song, ‘Looking Out for Number One,’ in the album ‘Silver Dreams.’ It made a brief appearance on the U.S. music chart reaching No. 60. A year later, she released another album ‘Branigan.’ The album earned four subsequent Grammy nominations for Best Pop Vocal Performance. In 1983, she released another album ‘Branigan 2’ and it also gathered a vast audience from all across the world. Throughout the 1980s, Branigan released several superhit albums and songs. Her popularity began to decline in the early 1990s, and she released her final album ‘Over My Heart’ and it went unnoticed and failed to get any attention. She left the music industry in 1994 after seven years.

Acting career

Branigan made her acting debut in 1981 with a TV show, ‘An American Girl in Berlin.’ After her single ‘Gloria,’ she made several guest appearances on many American TV series including ‘Chips,’ ‘Monsters,’ and ‘Knight Rider.’ She also appeared in movies including ‘Mugsy’s Girls (1984)’ and ‘Backstage (1988)’.

Personal life

Laura Branigan married Larry Ross in 1978. He was a lawyer and died of colon cancer on Ju15, 1966. She left music behind to care for him. Branigan also had a relationship with the drummer of her band Tommy Bayiokos.

Laura Branigan’s death

Branigan suffered a brain aneurysm and died in her sleep at 52 in East Quogue, New York, on August 26, 2004. She had been experiencing headaches for several weeks before her death but did not seek medical attention. Her ashes were scattered over Long Island Sound.

Here are some beautiful photos of Laura Branigan from her early life and music career.

#1 Laura Branigan and Rick James at the Frankie Crocker Awards at The Savoy in New York City on January 21, 1983.

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#2 Laura Branigan, 1983.

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#3 Laura Branigan and Guests during Limelight Disco’s 4th Anniversary Celebration, 1984.

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#4 Laura Branigan, 1970.

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#5 Laura Branigan with Clark, 1984.

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#6 Laura Branigan with Charly Mcclain and Evelyn, 1983.

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#7 Laura Branigan during 10th Annual American Music Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, 1980.

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#8 Laura Branigan Wearing a Sequined Blouse, 1983.

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#9 Laura Branigan in Bremen, 1983.

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#10 Laura Branigan, 1984.

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#11 Laura Branigan wearing blue jacket, 1984.

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#12 Laura Branigan in pink shirt, 1984.

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#13 Laura Branigan at Limelight Disco’s 4th Anniversary Celebration, 1984.

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#14 Laura Branigan at the Rockefeller Center, 1984.

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#15 Laura Branigan, 1985.

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#16 Laura Branigan poses for a portrait, 1985.

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#17 Laura Branigan poses for a portrait in LA, 1985.

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#18 Laura Branigan, December 1985.

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#19 Laura Branigan posing in blue dress, 1985.

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#20 Laura Branigan, 1985.

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#21 Laura Branigan at “The Love Boat” Party hosted by Aaron Spelling, 1985.

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#22 Laura Branigan during an interview in ‘The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson’, 1985.

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#23 Laura Branigan with Lou Rawls during The 14th Annual American Music Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.

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#24 Laura Branigan performs live on stage in Germany, 1987.

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#25 Laura Branigan, January 17, 1983.

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#26 Laura Branigan in front of press photographers, 1983.

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#27 Laura Branigan, 1986

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#28 Laura Branigan during the musical performance on December 4, 1982

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#29 Laura Branigan playing guitar, 1982.

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#30 Laura Branigan in New York City, 1982.

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#31 Laura Branigan wearing a white angora sweater, 1980.

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#32 Laura Branigan in blue dress, 1980.

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#33 Laura Branigan with one hand behind her head, 1980.

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#34 Laura Branigan at a dance show, 1983.

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#35 Laura Branigan in red dress, 1984.

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#36 Laura Branigan performing in Hanover on April 25, 1983

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#37 Laura Branigan at the Kingswood, 1983.

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#38 Laura Branigan and Guests during 11th Annual American Music Awards at Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, 1984.

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#39 Laura Branigan performing on the stage at Limelight Disco’s 4th Anniversary Celebration, 1984.

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#40 Laura Branigan sitting on the stage, 1984.

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#41 Laura Branigan during Limelight Disco’s 4th Anniversary Celebration in Atlanta, 1984.

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#42 Laura Branigan with Maurice Gatien, 1984.

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#43 Laura Branigan with Shannon Tweed, 1984.

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#44 Laura Branigan performing in dance contest, 1984.

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#45 Laura Branigan performs on stage at the Great Adventure Amusement Park in New Jersey, 1984.

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#46 Laura Branigan performing at crowd of 10,000 fans at Kingswood Music Theatre, 1984.

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#47 Laura Branigan in Dortmund, 1984.

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#48 Laura Branigan performing in Dortmund, 1984.

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#49 Laura Branigan, 1985.

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#50 Laura Branigan in black dress, 1985.

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#51 Laura Branigan, 1985.

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#52 Laura Branigan posing on the chair, 1985.

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#53 Laura Branigan posing in blue dress, 1985.

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#54 Laura Branigan with a doll, 1985.

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#55 Laura Branigan in black jacket, 1985.

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#56 Laura Branigan with her boyfriend after rehearsals for “Night of 100 Stars II” at New York Hilton Hotel, 1985.

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#57 Laura Branigan, with Kim Carnes at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards, 1985.

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#58 Laura Branigan at the 27th Annual Grammy Awards, 1985.

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#59 Laura Branigan during Directors Guild of America Awards at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, 1985.

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#60 Laura Branigan during Directors Guild of America Awards, 1985.

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#61 Laura Branigan performs during “Tammy Faye Tastes New York”.

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#62 Laura Branigan performing on the stage, 1970.

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#63 Laura Branigan on the stage, 1970.

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#64 Laura Branigan on the stage, 1970.

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#65 Laura Branigan, 1983.

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#66 Laura Branigan on the stage, 1970.

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#67 Laura Branigan at the beginning of her solo career, Germany 1970s.

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#68 Laura Branigan with Oak Ridge Boys, 1985.

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#69 Laura Branigan at Palladium, New York, 1995.

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#70 Laura Branigan with Michael Aitken, 1986.

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