Gaspar Cara rose to prominence because of his daughter, Irene Cara, who broke all odds and became a world-famous singer and actress.
Gaspar Cara’s Family
Gaspar Cara was born ‘Gaspar Maria Escalera’ on February 10, 1917, in San Juan, El Cinco County, Puerto Rico. He was raised by his parents Ramon Escalera and Cruz Figueras Gonzalez. He spent most of his early days in his hometown alongside his siblings Benito, Ramon, and Carmen Escalera. Further, he also had half-siblings Angelina, Agapito, Fausta, and Rafel Escalera, from his father’s side.
Gaspar was a steel factory worker and retired saxophonist. In his early 30s, he shifted from his home country to the United States of America where he met his soulmate, Louise Bentancourt, a Florida native of Cuban descent. She was a movie theatre usher. The couple had 5 children, 3 daughters and 2 sons, from their marriage. But it was the youngest of all, Irene Cara Escalera, born on March 18, 1959, who rose to stardom and made the family proud. Irene began to play the piano by ear, studied music, acting, and dance, and began taking dance lessons when she was merely five. By the time Irene was nine, she had already debuted in theatre and television. Irene married stuntman and film director Conrad Palmisano in Los Angeles on April 13, 1986. They divorced in 1991.
Gasper died on 13 January 1994 in New York, the United States. He was at the age of 76 when he passed away naturally. His daughter, Irene died from arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease at her home on November 25, 2022, at 63 years of age.
Gaspar Cara’s Net Worth
Gaspar Cara led a very simple life despite being so closely connected to his celebrity daughter, Irene. Gasper was himself a musician but unlike his daughter, he remained just a local artist. He was a saxophonist for some period of his life and later took a retirement. In his 40s, he started as a steel factory worker to take care of his household expenses. But it was his love and passion for music and arts that helped shape his daughter’s artistic journey. Gasper’s net worth is not disclosed but it can be said that he lived a comfortable life after his daughter rose to success.
Irene Cara was an American singer and actress who rose to prominence for her role as Coco Hernandez in the 1980 musical film Fame, and for recording the film’s title song “Fame”, which reached No. 1 in several countries. She co-wrote and sang the song “Flashdance… What a Feeling” for which she shared an Academy Award for Best Original Song and won a Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1984. Billboard named her Top New Single Artist, and Cashbox magazine awarded her both Most Promising Female Vocalist and Top Female Vocalist. She had a net worth of $4 million at the time of her death.
