Singer Eric Carmen, singer of the band Raspberry, has died at the age of 74
Eric Carmen, the Raspberry band member best known for songs like “All By Myself” and “Hungry Eyes,” has died at the age of 74.
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Singer-songwriter Eric Carmen, the leader of powerhouse pop group The Raspberries, who achieved success with songs like “All By Myself” and “Hungry Eyes,” has died.
He was 74 years old. The news was announced on Monday On his website With a letter from his wife, Amy Carmen.
“It is with great sadness that we share the devastating news of Eric Carmen's passing. Kind, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep over the weekend,” the statement read. “It brought him great joy to know that his music over the decades has touched so many and will be his lasting legacy.”
“Please respect the family’s privacy as we mourn our tremendous loss,” he concludes.
The cause of death was not mentioned.
USA TODAY has reached out to Capitol Records, the label formerly home to Raspberry, for comment.
Formed in 1970, Raspberries produced four albums for Capitol Records and were known for their matching suits at a time when most bands had abandoned them.
“Almost every band had waist-length hair and beards and ripped jeans and they looked like a bunch of hippies, and I wanted to get away from that as much as possible,” Carmen The observer said in 2017.
The Raspberries' second album, “Fresh”, released in 1972, would be their highest charting hit, reaching No. 36 and featuring two Top 40 hits, “I Wanna Be With You” and “Let's Pretend”.
The Raspberries ended their debut run in 1975, after two years of creative differences that led to the departure of drummer Jim Bonfanti and bassist Dave Smalley.
Eric Carmen's “All By Myself” and Raspberry's “Go All the Way” have lasting power
As a solo artist, Carmen was behind the popular tunes of the 1970s and 1980s that have lasting power well into the 2020s.
After Carmen released “All By Myself” on his self-titled debut album in 1975, the song became a hit on radio, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100. The featured song went on to appear in films such as the 1995 Nicole Kidman film ” “To Die For”, “Clueless”, “Almost Famous” and “Bridget Jones's Diary”.
In 1996, Celine Dion sang “All By Myself,” and it became one of the legendary Canadian singer's most iconic songs.
Carmen also co-wrote the song “Almost Paradise” which is included on the soundtrack of the Grammy-nominated song “Footloose”. “Dirty Dancing” helped another of Carmen's songs, “Hungry Eyes,” become a hit in the late 1980s. It spent 25 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number four. Carmen's follow-up, “Make Me Lose Control”, also made its way onto the charts in 1988.
Although Raspberries formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1970, the band's music is still beloved and got a boost from their 1998 hit “Go All the Way,” which was included on the “Guardians of the Galaxy” soundtrack. In 2014.
Carmen and the Raspberry Band reunited for two shows in late 2004 at Cleveland's House of Blues, leading to dates across the country the following year and the album “Live on Sunset Strip,” which included the liner notes of no less a fan than Bruce. Springsteen, who praised the Mulberries as “the great, underrated masters of pop music.”
“It's more satisfying now than ever to get on stage and play with these guys,” Carmen told The Plain Dealer in 2007. “It's also nice that after nearly 30 years, we seem to finally have the respect of the media and the people who Maybe the first time they didn't quite get it.
Contributing: Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press