Gloria Loring

Gloria Loring (born Gloria Jean Goff on December 12, 1946 in New York City) is an American singer and actress. She began her music career at age 14, singing with a folk group known as Those Four. She went on to perform on a wide range of TV programs in the '70s, from "The Carol Burnett Show" to the Academy Awards ceremony. Loring was married to actor Alan Thicke ("Growing Pains") from 1970 until 1983, and they composed the theme songs to "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life." The first season of "Facts" featured a studio singer and some cast members performing the song, but the remainder of the run (1980-1988) featured Loring's rendition. Loring and Thick are the parents of sons Brennan and soul singer-songwriter Robin Thicke In 1980, Loring joined NBC daytime soap "Days of Our Lives" as chanteuse Liz Chandler. Of nine new characters introduced in the 1980-1981 season, only Liz garnered a fan following, and Loring was the only freshman performer to have her contract renewed. Loring briefly dated Don Diamont, the actor who played the corrupt, long-lost son of her TV husband Dr. Neil Curtis. (Diamont would go on to find daytime stardom on "The Young and the Restless" as Brad Carlton.) In 1986, Loring scored a No. 2 pop and No. 1 adult contemporary hit in the United States with "Friends and Lovers," a duet with Carl Anderson (also a No 1 country hit in 1986 for Eddie Rabbitt and Juice Newton under the title "Both to Each Other"). Loring left "Days" that same year and only made sporadic film and television appearances during the next few decades. Her main efforts were spent in theater and in her recording career. Upon learning Brennan had diabetes, Loring became a major fundraiser and advocate for diabetes research. In 1994, Loring married production designer Rene Lagler. They initially met 24 years earlier on the set of Glen Campbell's variety series. They met again on a plane in 1993, and Loring said she knew this was the man she was going to marry. Loring's most recent album was a 2003 holiday release, "You Make It Christmas."