Eric Carmen who first rose to prominence as a member of the Raspberries before finding success as a solo artist, died in his sleep over the weekend at the age of 74.
In a statement posted to her husband’s website, Eric’s wife Amy wrote:
“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen.” “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.”
The legendary singer’s widow ended her statement with a line from his 1977 song ‘Love Is All That Matters’ saying “Love Is All That Matters… Faithful and Forever.”
In 1972, the Raspberries found success with their debut self titled LP that included the hit single ‘Go All The Way.’ While the song was later banned by the BBC due to its sexually suggestive lyrics, it enjoyed a resurgence and renewed popularity due to its inclusion in the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ soundtrack.
When the Raspberries split up n 1975, Carmen embarked on a solo career. His most memorable hit is ‘All By Myself’, that Celine Dion subsequently later covered, along with the song being featured in the opening scene of 2001 romantic comedy classic ‘Bridget Jones’s Diary’.
In addition to ‘All By …’ Carmen had hits with ‘Almost Paradise’ that was featured in the ‘Footloose’ soundtrack, and ‘Hungry Eyes’ from ‘Dirty Dancing’ in 1987.
Posting tributes to Eric Carmen on X (formerly Twitter), KISS legend Paul Stanley wrote: “Awful News. Eric Carmen has died. Although known to many for writing radio hits like ‘All By Myself’ and others, Eric was a true rocker at heart.” “His voice had elements of McCartney and Steve Marriott. The Raspberries did shows with us. A killer band live and I loved their records.”
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Author: Saul Goode
Photo: Louise Palanker