Cyndi Lauper

Cyndi Lauper has been married to actor David Thornton since November 24, 1991. They met while working on the film Off and Running.

Lauper and Thornton have one son, Declyn Wallace Thornton Lauper, who was born in 1997 and performs music as Dex Lauper. He opened for Lauper during dates on her 2016 Detour Tour.

Lauper grew up in Ozone Park, Queens, after spending her earliest years in Brooklyn. Her parents divorced when she was five, and she began writing songs and playing guitar at age 12. She later worked a series of jobs while singing in nightclubs and local bands.

In 1977, Lauper formed the rockabilly band Blue Angel with musician John Turi. The band released its only album in 1980, but commercial success eluded it, and Blue Angel dissolved in 1982. Lauper then pursued a solo career and signed with Portrait Records.

Her debut solo album, She's So Unusual, was released in 1983. It reached the top five in several countries and included "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," "Time After Time," "She Bop," and "All Through the Night." The album made Lauper the first female artist to achieve four consecutive top-five singles on the Billboard Hot 100 from one album. She won the Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1985.

Lauper continued recording with albums including True Colors (1986), A Night to Remember (1989), Hat Full of Stars (1993), Sisters of Avalon (1996), Memphis Blues (2010), and Detour (2016). Memphis Blues topped the Billboard Blues Albums chart for 14 consecutive weeks, while Detour presented her interpretations of country classics and included collaborations with Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Vince Gill, Jewel, and Alison Krauss.

Lauper made her film debut in the 1988 comedy Vibes, in which she played Sylvia Pickel opposite Jeff Goldblum. She later appeared in Off and Running, Life with Mikey, The Opportunists, Here and There, and Henry & Me.

Her television work included a recurring role as Marianne Lugasso on Mad About You, for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award in 1995. She also played Avalon Harmonia in five episodes of Bones and took guest roles in programs including That's So Raven, Happily Divorced, Magnum P.I., Young Sheldon, and The Horror of Dolores Roach.

Lauper's screen appearances have often connected with her music career. She appeared as herself in music videos and television programs, voiced characters in animated productions, and was featured in the career documentary Let the Canary Sing, which premiered in 2023 and later streamed on Paramount+.

In 2013, Lauper wrote the music and lyrics for the Broadway musical Kinky Boots, with a book by Harvey Fierstein. The production was based on the 2005 British film and received six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. Lauper won Best Original Score, becoming the first woman to win that category as a solo composer. She also won a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album for the cast recording.

Lauper contributed the song "Hero Is My Middle Name" to the Broadway musical SpongeBob SquarePants, whose score received a Tony nomination. She and Rob Hyman also co-wrote "Secret to the Formula" for The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run.

Her other honors include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2015, and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025. Her debut album was added to the National Recording Registry in 2019.

Lauper has advocated for LGBTQ rights throughout her career. In 2007, she co-founded the True Colors Tour, which raised funds for equality organizations, and in 2008 she helped establish True Colors United, an organization focused on LGBTQ youth homelessness.

True Colors United established the True Colors Residence in New York City, a 30-bed facility offering temporary shelter and job-placement assistance to LGBTQ young people. Lauper has also supported the Matthew Shepard Foundation and performed at events connected with LGBTQ rights and equality.

The song "True Colors" became closely associated with acceptance and LGBTQ advocacy. In December 2022, Lauper performed it at the White House celebration where President Joe Biden signed the Respect for Marriage Act.

Lauper announced the Girls Just Wanna Have Fun Farewell Tour in 2024, describing it as her final series of touring concerts. The tour began in Montreal in October 2024 and continued into 2025, including performances at the Glastonbury Festival and the Hollywood Bowl.

Her later projects included the documentary Let the Canary Sing, the soundtrack song "Oh Dolores" for The Horror of Dolores Roach, and the ensemble single "Gonna Be You" with Dolly Parton, Belinda Carlisle, Debbie Harry, and Gloria Estefan. She also announced a Las Vegas residency, Cyndi Lauper: Live in Las Vegas, at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace.