Laura Nyro had the career that she wanted. On her terms. She regularly turned down invitations to perform live. She passed on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. She passed on Saturday Night Live. She briefly considered becoming the lead singer of Blood, Sweat & Tears after the departure of original singer Al Kooper — but she turned that offer down as well.
Laura supplied hits for The Fifth Dimension, Peter, Paul & Mary, Three Dog Night and Barbra Streisand. Although she recorded a number of albums herself, the majority of her success came from recordings of her songs by other singers. Often reclusive, Laura wrote songs for herself, to reflect how she felt.
She influenced a wide variety of performers including Elton John, Jackson Browne, Elvis Costello, Todd Rundgren and even Alice Cooper.
In 1996, Laura was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. She passed away the following year at the age of 49 — the same age as her mother, who also passed away from ovarian cancer.