American singer-songwriter and activist Lesley Gore was BOTD in 1946. Born in Brooklyn, New York, to a middle-class Jewish family, her parents changed the family surname to Gore soon after her birth. Raised in New Jersey, she showed an early interest in music. In 1963, aged 16, she was signed to a recording contract by Quincy Jones after he heard recordings of her singing. Her recording of pop song It’s My Party, released while she was still in high school, became a No 1 hit, launching her to stardom. Under Jones’ management, she released a string of hits over the next two years, notably You Don’t Own Me, which became a surprise feminist anthem when re-recorded by Dusty Springfield. while completing high school and studying at Sarah Lawrence College. In 1967, she guest-starred as Catwoman’s sidekick Pink Pussycat in two episodes of cult TV series Batman. Dropped by her label in the late 1960s, she shifted to writing and recording her own songs, though with less commercial success. Gore’s song Out Here on My Own, written for the 1980 film Fame, earned her an Oscar nomination and became a hit for Irene Cara. In a 2005 interview, Gore came out as lesbian, describing the aggressive homophobia of the music industry when she was younger. In the 2000s, she hosted several episodes of the LGBT current affairs TV show In the Life. Gore was in a relationship with designer Lois Sasson from 1982 until her [Gore’s] death in 2015, aged 68.