Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

The ‘80s would not have been the same without Cyndi Lauper. The singer is a living music legend so take a look at Cyndi from her younger years to today.

Born Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper, the icon known as Cyndi Lauper burst onto the scene in the early 1980s thanks to her album She’s So Unusual. With that LP, she broke through the glass ceiling — it became the first debut album by a female artist to achieve four top-five hits on the Billboard Hot 100. First working with the band Blue Angel, Cyndi then established herself as a solo artist with her version of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” Her music and fashion became synonymous with the 1980s, blending early punk, new wave, and pop into a unique sound and signature style.

Cyndi won the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards’ Best Female Video prize in 1984 for “Girls Just Want to Have Fun,” and has been recognized as one of the greatest music videos of the era. She has also won countless awards at the Grammys, Emmys, Tonys, and VMAs.

Beyond her music, Cyndi has built a respected acting career, appearing in hit TV shows like Mad About You, Bones, and That’s So Raven, as well as films such as Vibes, Life With Mikey, and Henry & Me. She even made a cameo in The Goonies, contributing the beloved theme song “The Goonies ‘R’ Good Enough.”

Cyndi is also a lifelong LGBTQ+ advocate, co-founding the True Colors Fund to combat youth homelessness and champion equality. Now celebrating her Rock Hall induction, decades of hits, and the announcement of her farewell tour, Cyndi Lauper continues to prove that true icons never fade — they just keep inspiring new generations to be unapologetically themselves.

Want to learn more? Take a look at Cyndi and marvel at this icon in our gallery!

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Cyndi Lauper: Photos of the ‘Girls Just Wanna Have Fun’ Singer

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper at the 31st Annual MusiCares Person of the Year Gala held at the MGM Grand Conference Center on April 1st, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

June 21, 2022, 12:07PM 2 of 24

Cyndi Lauper & Son Declyn At Her 2018 Home for the Holidays Benefit Concert

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper and her son Declyn Lauper pose backstage at the 8th Annual Home for the Holidays benefit concert at the Beacon Theatre, in New York on Dec. 8, 2018. She wore a sparkling minidress and striped velvet jacket with wild hair.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM 3 of 24

Cyndi Lauper & Son Declyn At The 2021 MTV Video Music Awards

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Declyn Lauper Thornton joins mom Cyndi Lauper at the 2021 MTV Video Music Awards in New York on Sep. 12, 2021. She wore all leather and put a loving hand on his chest.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM 4 of 24

Cyndi Lauper & Beck At MusiCares’ 2022 Person of the Year

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper and Beck team up at MusiCares’ 2022 Person of the Year celebration on Apr. 1, 2022. She wore a plunging jacket with tons of zippers.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM 5 of 24

Cyndi Lauper In 1980

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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What a scream! Cyndi Lauper gives it her all while performing in Oct. of 1980. She had two-toned hair and wore a punky outfit.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM

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Cyndi Lauper & Lionel Richie

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper and Lionel Richie hang out while recording ‘We Are The World’ in 1985. Tina Turner can be spotted in the background. The charity fundraising track also featured the talents of Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Kenny Rogers, Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, and Willie Nelson, among others.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM 7 of 24

Cyndi Lauper Rocks NYC

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Wild style! Cyndi Lauper dons a puffy skirt and frizzy yellow locks on stage at Madison Square Garden.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM 8 of 24

Cyndi Lauper In 2013

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper poses on the piano at Sony’s rehearsal studios in New York in 2013. She had on a fuzzy jacket, silk shirt, and patterned pants with spiky hair and green eyeshadow.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM 9 of 24

Cyndi Lauper In 2014

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper performs during the D2K Tour 2014 at the BB&T Center on in Sunrise, Florida. She donned a slick leather look with crimson curls.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM 10 of 24

Cyndi Lauper Kisses David Thornton

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper smooches actor husband David Thornton while she’s honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on Apr. 11, 2016. The couple married in 1991 and have been going strong since.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM 11 of 24

Cyndi Lauper At 2021 Global Citizen Live

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper belts while on stage at the Global Citizen Live concert in New York’s Central Park on Sep. 25, 2021. She wore a dark ensemble decorated with colorful polka dots that looked like candy.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM 12 of 24

Cyndi Lauper At The 2021 Tony Awards

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper sports pretty purple locks during the 74th Annual Tony Awards on Sep. 26, 2021. Ready for a red carpet moment, she wore a chic black ensemble which framed her cleavage.

July 17, 2022, 1:11PM 13 of 24

Cyndi Lauper At The 2020 Grammys

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper attends the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards in 2020. She continues to be a style icon to this very day.

June 21, 2022, 12:07PM 14 of 24

Cyndi Lauper & David Thornton In 2016

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper and David Thornton attend a 2016 ceremony for Cyndi’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Cyndi has been married to David Thornton since the early 1990s.

June 21, 2022, 12:13PM 15 of 24

Cyndi Lauper In 2019

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Who needs a crown when you have your hair? Cyndi Lauper, looking like a punk queen, attends the Billboard Women in Music event in 2019.

June 21, 2022, 12:07PM 16 of 24

Cyndi Lauper At The 2018 Grammys

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper is a little bit country, a little bit rock n roll, a little bit divine. Here, she arrives for the 60th Annual Grammy Awards while wearing Moschino.

June 21, 2022, 12:07PM 17 of 24

Cyndi Lauper & David Thornton In 2012

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper and David Thornton attend the Belvedere Vodka party at the 65th Cannes Film Festival in 2012. Cyndi continues to age in reverse.

June 21, 2022, 12:14PM 18 of 24

Cyndi Lauper In 2017

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper performs at the ‘Cyndi Lauper and Friends Home for the Holidays’ benefit concert in 2017. Time after time, we are amazed by Cyndi.

June 21, 2022, 12:07PM 19 of 24

Cyndi Lauper In 2019

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper is wordwide! Here, she attends the Global Grind Grammy After Party in 2009.

June 21, 2022, 12:07PM 20 of 24

Cyndi’s True Colors Shine In 1995

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper and her husband David Thornton attend the Brit Awards in 1995. The couple had been married for roughly three or four years at this point.

June 21, 2022, 12:13PM 21 of 24

Cyndi Lauper In 1986

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper in 1986. This woman’s style continues to inspire people to this very day. Look at her and drink it in.

June 21, 2022, 12:07PM 22 of 24

Cyndi Lauper In 1994

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper attends the 21st Annual American Music Awards in 1994. The higher the hair, the closer to God.

June 21, 2022, 12:07PM 23 of 24

Cyndi Lauper Is Punk

Cyndi Lauper Then & Now: Pictures of the Pop Singer Over the Years

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Cyndi Lauper performs at the Hammersmith Odeon in London in 1987. In the decades since this performance, her voice, activism, and style have echoed, inspiring millions.

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