No need to be sorry now, Connie Francis.

The 1960s singing sensation and actress has settled her dispute with the distant family of a fan who signed over nearly all of her assets, $300,000 in certificates of deposit, to Francis just four days before committing suicide.

A cousin of Patricia Nilsen – 57 when she shot herself in the head Nov. 27, 2006 near Ocala – accused Francis of manipulating Nilsen into transferring her assets to her.

The cousin, New Jersey resident Gerald Nilsen, believed that Patricia Nilsen’s original intention was to keep the money in the family until Francis managed to make the woman believe she was her best friend.

Patricia Nilsen had no immediate heirs.

Francis’ side of the story? The singer of Where The Boys Are and Who’s Sorry Now, 70, said she got the money fair and square. She described Nilsen as a huge fan who often wrote her letters.

“It’s not my fault she left me the money,” Francis said last year.

Both sides filed suits in Marion County in August 2007, after Francis’ offer to split the money with Gerald Nilsen and donate $25,000 to St. Jude Children’s Hospital was nixed.

Now, the lawyer of Nilsen’s estate tells me that 10 hours of mediation last week convinced both sides to call it a truce.

“It’s a good settlement for all concerned,” said West Palm Beach attorney Richard Brown. “It was best to resolve this. There was little or no evidence that Ms. Nilsen was either insane or under the undue influence from Ms. Francis when she cashed out the assets.”

While the details of the settlement are confidential, Brown said the $200,000 or so left over after attorneys’ fees will be “divided fairly equally.”

Both sides agreed to making the charitable donation.

Francis’ attorney in Ocala, Dude Phelan, didn’t return calls for comment.

Francis, meanwhile, may soon be eyeing another payoff. Latin songbird Gloria Estefan is working on bringing the story of Francis’ life, which includes a brutal rape after a concert, to the big screen.