(USNewsBreak.com) – Eric Carmen was a music aficionado long before releasing his own songs. He grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. There, he studied violin at the age of six with his aunt, a member of the city’s famed orchestra, before learning to play piano and compose songs. Music would become Carmen’s life and career. Sadly, he passed away recently.
The famed singer died over the weekend of March 9-10 in his sleep, according to a statement from his wife, Amy Carmen, on the singer’s personal website. She said it gave her husband “great joy to know that for decades, his music touched so many.” Mrs. Carmen asked the public to respect his family’s privacy as they grieve. Nobody gave a cause of death.
Carmen skyrocketed to fame in the 1970s as the frontman of the band The Raspberries, which hit the scene in 1972. Despite the era in which they formed, Carmen, who grew up listening to the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and the Byrds, focused the band’s music on showcasing the songwriting and melodic style of the 1960s.
Singer Eric Carmen, whose hit songs include "All by Myself" and "Hungry Eyes," has died at the age of 74. https://t.co/b4fb1OjMr7
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 12, 2024
The band even wore suits to set themselves apart, while other bands of the era sported long hair and ripped jeans. It worked. Many other diverse groups, like Nirvana, Cheap Trick, and Kiss, said the band’s music served as inspiration for their own. Sadly, the band broke up only three years after it debuted, but Carmen’s career was nowhere near over.
Carmen took advantage of the opportunity to write music that spoke to him rather than supporting the band’s staple sound. He’s well-known for songs like “All by Myself” and “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again.” He also became a prominent soundtrack music producer, writing for films like “Footloose” and “Dirty Dancing,” two Academy-award nominated movies of the era. Many musicians have covered and re-recorded his songs, ensuring his legacy will continue for decades to come.
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