Eric Carmen, the lead singer of the powerpop group Raspberries and solo artist known for his popular songs like All By Myself, Never Gonna Fall in Love Again, and Hungry Eyes, passed away at the age of 74.
Carmen’s spouse, Amy, announced the passing of Carmen on his official webpage. The reason for the death was not provided.
“We are deeply saddened to announce the passing of Eric Carmen,” she expressed. “Our beloved and talented Eric passed away peacefully in his sleep this past weekend. It brought him immense happiness to know that his music had touched countless lives over the years and will continue to be his lasting legacy. We kindly request privacy for our family as we grieve this tremendous loss.”
In the 1970s and 1980s, the well-known American musician was responsible for numerous chart-topping hits. He started out as the lead singer of Raspberries and is credited with writing or co-writing the majority of their songs, including their biggest hit “Go All the Way.” This particular song was praised for its blend of guitar riffs reminiscent of The Who and vocals resembling The Beatles. Unfortunately, the suggestive lyrics caused controversy and led to the song being banned from airplay on certain radio stations in both the US and UK, including the BBC. However, its popularity resurfaced in 2014 when it was featured on the soundtrack for the hit film, Guardians of the Galaxy.
After the disbandment of the Raspberries in 1975, Carmen began a solo journey focused less on rock and more on power ballads. In 1976, his initial two singles gained significant success; “All by Myself” was inspired by Sergei Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No 2, while “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” incorporated elements from Rachmaninov’s Symphony No 2.
Some of his musical compositions achieved great success through renditions by different performers – Celine Dion released a cover of “All By Myself” in 1996, Olivia Newton-John covered his 1977 song “She Did It,” and Shaun Cassidy had a hit with “That’s Rock and Roll,” originally written by Carmen.
Carmen also had a hit with his contribution to the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, Hungry Eyes, which put him back at the top of the music charts in 1987, reaching No 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following year his piano pop Make Me Lose Control was a similar success, reaching No 3.
During the 1980s, Carmen’s songs were not able to make it onto the music charts once again. However, he did join Ringo Starr and the All-Starr Band for a tour in 2000 and later reunited with the Raspberries in 2004 for some live shows.
His wife and two children, Clayton and Kathryn, are his surviving family.
Source: theguardian.com
