Laura Branigan (July 3, 1957 – August 26, 2004) was a popular American singer and actress from Brewster, New York. She was best known for her 1982 platinum-selling single "Gloria", a major hit throughout the world which spent a record-setting 36 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 and received a Grammy Award nomination in early 1983. Following the massive success of "Gloria," Branigan introduced the ballad "How Am I Supposed To Live Without You", which spent three weeks at #1 on the US Adult Contemporary chart. The same year, she had another Top 10 Pop hit with "Solitaire"%28Laura_Branigan_song%29" target="_blank">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solitaire_%28Laura_Branigan_song%29. "Branigan's _Self Control" album (1984) was certified Platinum and was her all-time biggest seller with the title track becoming an international smash. Her other Top-40 Pop hits include "The Lucky One", "Spanish Eddie", and "Power of Love". She was primarily of Irish ancestry.