Gloria Loring

Best known for her #1 hit song "Friends and Lovers," Gloria Loring, has made her mark on television as an actor and composer. Loring's career began in a folk band when she was 14. In 1968, she released her first album, and was already appearing as a musical performer on television on "International Cabaret," "The Merv Griffin Show," and "The Carol Burnett Show." Her music career developed, and in late 1970s, she joined with Al Burton and her then husband, Alan Thicke, to compose two of the '80s most popular theme songs: "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Facts of Life." In 1980, Loring landed a role on the soap opera "Days of Our Lives," and used the appearance to promote a cookbook to raise money for diabetes research. She went on to release two cookbooks and one album that ultimately raised more than $1 million for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. As an actress she appeared on a number of popular shows including: the mystery series "Murder, She Wrote," the teen drama "Beverly Hills, 90210," and the action series "Renegade." She retired from acting in the late '90s, but her work continues to be heard on television and film through use of the popular "Facts of Life" theme song.