About the time Cyndi Lauper damaged her vocal cords and was told not to sing in the manner she was known for in her earlier years as a pop singer, Madonna surpassed her as the female pop icon of the age.
I have a feeling that was going to happen anyway, regardless of Cyndi's vocal chord problem. I saw Madonna at Live Aid in '85 and she took over the stage like it was nothing. She was a superstar from the beginning.