Eric Carmen, the former lead vocalist of The Raspberries and hitmaker of the singles "All by Myself" and "Hungry Eyes," has died at age 74.
The news was confirmed by his wife, Amy Carmen, in a statement posted on his website.
"It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen," she wrote. "Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend. It brought him great joy to know that, for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy. Please respect the family's privacy as we mourn our enormous loss."
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Carmen rose to prominence fronting the 1970s pop-rock group The Raspberries. In a musical era defined by progressive rock's countercultural and artistic ethos, The Raspberries carved a name for themselves by going against the grain with tidy haircuts and matching suits that were a nod towards the early Beatles.
"We became immensely popular by going completely against the grain in 1970," Carmen wrote in his website bio. "Prog-rock was 'in,' and FM radio clutched it to its bosom. I hated it. I loved the Beatles, The Who, the Byrds, the Stones, the Beach Boys and the Small Faces. I loved bands that could WRITE!"
The band went on to release a string of hits including "I Wanna Be with You" and "Go All the Way," but the cracks eventually began to show.
The band split in 1975, prompting Carmen to launch his solo career, which turned away from pop rock and instead steered towards power ballads.
In 1976, he scored big with his first two singles: "All by Myself," which drew from Sergei Rachmaninov's Piano Concerto No. 2, and "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," inspired by a segment of Rachmaninov's Symphony No. 2, The Guardian reported.
Following his success, several of his songs gained further prominence when covered by other artists. Celine Dion's rendition of "All By Myself" in 1996, Olivia Newton-John's take on his 1977 track "She Did It," and Shaun Cassidy's version of Carmen's "That's Rock and Roll" all became notable hits.
In 1987, Carmen made a comeback with "Hungry Eyes," his contribution to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, which soared to No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, followed by another success the next year with his piano-pop track "Make Me Lose Control," peaking at No. 3.
While his solo singles didn't regain chart success after the 1980s, Carmen remained active in the music scene. He toured with Ringo Starr and the All-Starr Band in 2000 and reunited briefly with Raspberries in 2004 for live performances.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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