Gaspar Cara: All You Need To Know About Late Irene Cara’s Late Father

Gaspar Cara is the late father of the Late American singer, songwriter, and actress Irene Cara Escalera, famously known as Irene Cara. His daughter is best known for her character Sparkle Williams in the musical drama film Sparkle and Coco Hernandez in Fame.

As the father of America’s most loved artist, Gaspar had made some media appearances alongside his daughter. Following his media exposure, there had been several queries regarding his family background and his inside life.

So, we are here to talk about Irene Cara’s deceased dad Gaspar Cara. Scroll the full article to know in detail.

Gaspar Cara Is Originally From Puerto Rico

He was born ‘Gaspar Maria Escalera’ on February 10, 1917, in San Juan, El Cinco County, Puerto Rico. As of 2023, the celebrity father is no longer alive as he passed away at the age of 76.

Moving back to his early days, Gaspar was raised by his parents Ramon Escalera and Cruz Figueras Gonzalez. He spent most of his early days in his hometown alongside his siblings.

Besides, he was black with Puerto Rican ethnicity and probably was an American citizen.

Gaspar Cara Siblings

He was not the only child of his parents. Gaspar was a brother to many of his siblings Benito, Ramon, and Carmen Victoria Escalera Figueras. Further, he also had half-siblings Angelina, Agapito, Fausta, and Rafel Escalera, probably from his father’s side.

Likewise, as per reports, he had one more half-sister and two half-brothers whose name is not known yet. Having so many half-brothers and sisters indicates that Gaspar came from a broken family.

Gaspar Cara Was A Saxophonist; What Else Did He Do?

Irene Cara’s late father Gaspar was a musician but unlike his daughter, he remained just a local artist. He was a saxophonist probably for some period of his life and later took a retirement.

Apart from being a musician, he also worked in a steel factory. In his 40s, he started as a factory worker just for household expenses. Once in an exclusive talk, his daughter Irene talked about Cara and his wife’s struggle to cover up their children’s educational expenses and said,

The money I made acting as a child went toward my schooling, but still my parents had to work all the time to pay for my education.”

Indeed, Gaspar struggled to earn enough money to run his family.

Gaspar Cara Was Husband To His Wife Louise Escalera

In his early 30s, Gaspar shifted from his home country to the United States of America where he met his soulmate, Louise Bentancourt, a Florida native of Cuban descent. Gaspar reportedly tied the knot with his newfound soulmate Louise around 1960 turning her name to Louise Escalera.

The couple had a graceful married life and in their decades-long marriage, they together created a beautiful family for each other. The couple remained husband and wife until the death of Gaspar in 1994.

Gaspar Cara Was Father To Five

From his marriage to his beloved wife, Gaspar was a father to his three daughters and two sons. Among his five children, while the information on his sons and a daughter is not available, his two daughters are Antoinette Greer and Irene Cara. 

Cara’s daughter Antoinette was older than Irene. In fact, Irene was the youngest of all five and was born on March 18, 1959, in New York City, US. She was artistically talented since a young age because of this Gaspar and his wife took her to music and dance training classes. Began her musical career as a child, Irene later gained a name and fame as an singer, songwriter, and actress in the American Entertainment Industry.

Gaspar’s Daughter, Irene Cara Was A Grammy Winning Award Singer

His youngest daughter Irene began her musical journey as a child. Her first recorded song was a Spanish-language which was specified for the Latin market and also an English-language Christmas album. She also started a professional performing career as a dancer and a singer on Spanish-language television.

Later, she also took part in Little Miss America pageant in which she acquired top five positions. Following her beauty pageant journey, she then appeared as an actress in series and mini-series like Aaron Loves Angela, Roots: The Next Generations, Guyana  Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones, and others.

After working in the Entertainment industry for so long, she finally get international acclaim for her role in the commercially successful film Fame in 1980. In the movie, she appeared as Coco Hernandez as well as she performed in the movie’s title song.

Including several albums and singles, Gaspar’s child Irene Cara was a writer and singer of a song entitled Flashdance…..What a Feeling for which she received an Academy Award for best original song. For her other several hit, Irene was also awarded a Grammy award for best female pop vocal performance.

His Daughter, Irene Died At the Age of 63 In 2022

The musician Irene Cara was found dead in her home in Largo, Florida on November 25, 2022, at the age of 63 years. The news of her demise was announced through Twitter on the morning of November 26.

As per the medical examiner, the cause of daughter Cara’s surprising demise was  Arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease. At the time of her death, Irene Cara was a millionaire with a net worth of $2 million.

Gaspar Cara is No Longer Alive; When Did He Die?

The Puerto Rican native died on 13 January 1994 in New York, the United States. He was at the age of 76 when he passed away naturally. After his death, his body was cremated.

On the other hand, his beloved wife Louise Escalera is also no longer alive. She expired 15 years later on 27 September 2010 at the age of 86 in her hometown in Florida.