Gloria Loring facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Gloria Loring
Loring in 1969
Born	Gloria Jean Goff (1946-12-10) December 10, 1946 (age 78) New York City, U.S.
Occupation	Actress, singer
Years active	1961–present
Spouse(s)	Alan Thicke ​ ​ (m. 1970⁠–⁠1984)​
Children	2, including Robin Thicke

Gloria Loring-Lagler (born Gloria Jean Goff on December 10, 1946) is an American singer and actress. She is famous for her role as Liz Chandler on the TV show Days of Our Lives. She played this character from 1980 to 1986 and returned in 2024. Loring is also known for her hit song "Friends and Lovers," a duet with singer Carl Anderson. The song was a huge success, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1986.

Early Life and Family

Gloria Jean Goff was born in New York City. Her mother, Dorothy Ann, was a singer. Her father, Gerald "Buzzy" Lewis Goff, was a professional trumpet player. He played with famous big bands, which were large groups of musicians popular during the swing music era.

Loring was married to actor Alan Thicke from 1970 to 1986. They had two sons, Brennan and the famous singer Robin Thicke.

Career in Music and Television

Starting as a Singer

Loring began her music career when she was only 14 years old. She sang in a folk group called Those Four. In 1968, she released her first album, titled Today. Over the next few years, she released several singles.

She appeared on many popular TV shows in the late 1960s and 1970s, including The Carol Burnett Show. In 1977, she released a single called "Brooklyn" under the name Cody Jameson. It was her first song to appear on the music charts.

Writing Famous TV Theme Songs

In the late 1970s, Loring and her husband at the time, Alan Thicke, wrote the theme songs for two very popular TV shows: Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. Loring sang two different versions of the theme song for The Facts of Life during the show's run.

Days of Our Lives

In 1980, Loring joined the cast of the NBC daytime drama, or "soap opera," Days of Our Lives. She played the character Liz Chandler, a singer. At the time, the show was not very popular, but Loring's character quickly became a fan favorite. She was the only new character introduced that season to have her contract renewed. She stayed on the show for six years.

The Hit Song "Friends and Lovers"

In 1986, Loring recorded the song "Friends and Lovers" with singer Carl Anderson. She had first performed the song on Days of Our Lives more than a year earlier. Fans loved it so much that the TV network received more mail about her performance than for any other song in its daytime history.

The song became a massive hit. It reached No. 2 on the Pop charts and No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary charts in the United States.

Charity Work

In 1979, Loring's son Brennan was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. This inspired her to help raise money for diabetes research. After joining Days of Our Lives, she created and published the Days Of Our Lives Celebrity Cookbook. The book was so successful that she released a second volume.

The cookbooks and her recordings raised over $1 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). For more than 30 years, she has been a spokesperson for the organization, helping to raise awareness and funds. Because of her work, she received the Lifetime Commitment Award from JDRF.

Notable Works

Albums

• Today (1968)
• A Shot in the Dark (1984)
• Gloria Loring (1986)
• Full Moon/No Hesitation (1988)
• You Make It Christmas (2003)
• A Playlist (2008)

Famous Television Roles