Eric Carmen, who co-founded and fronted the Raspberries in the early 1970s and later reached solo success throughout the 1980s with hits “All By Myself,” “Hungry Eyes,” “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again,” and more, died on March 11 at age 74. No cause of death was revealed.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen,” wrote his wife Amy Carmen on his official website. “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.”
She continued, “‘Love Is All That Matters … Faithful and Forever,'” referencing Carmen’s song “Love Is All That Matters,” from his 1977 solo album Boats Against the Current.
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Born August 11, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio, Carmen was a musical prodigy and classically trained at an early age. Carmen first started performing at 2, impersonating Johnnie Ray and Jimmy Durante for his parents, before entering the Dalcroze Eurhythmics—which inspired the Eurythmics’ band name—program at the Cleveland Institute of Music by age 3.
At the age of 6, Carmen started learning violin from his aunt Muriel, who played in the Cleveland Orchestra and was playing piano by 11. In high school, Carmen started playing in several bands, including The Harlequins, The Sounds of Silence, The Fugitives, and more.
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While attending John Carroll University, he joined The Cyrus Erie and released a few singles before they disbanded at the end of the ’60s. Along with Cyrus Erie guitarist Wally Bryson, Jim Bonfanti, and Dave Smalley, who were in another band, The Choir, together, the foursome formed The Raspberries. The band released their eponymous debut in 1972 and released a series of hits, including “Go All the Way,” “I Wanna Be with You,” and “Tonight,” among others.
Carmen wrote the majority of the band’s catalog—including many he penned solo—through the Raspberries’ fourth and final album, Starting Over in 1974 and their hit “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record),” which went to No. 18 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was also the band’s first to feature songs with profanity on the tracks “Starting Over” and “Party’s Over.”
After the band broke up in 1974, Carmen released his self-titled solo debut in 1975 and had his first hit “All By Myself.” The single, which was inspired by Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Opus 18, and used the melody of the chorus of the Raspberries’ 1972 song “Let’s Pretend,” reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Later covered by Celine Dion in 1996, “All By Myself” reentered the Hot 100 chart at No. 4.
In 1977 Olivia Newton-John also covered Carmen’s “She Did It,” while teen idol Shaun Cassidy had a Top 10 hit at No. 3 with his “That’s Rock ‘n’ Roll” that same year.
By the late ’80s, Carmen’s “Hungry Eyes” went to No. 4 and was featured on the soundtrack for Dirty Dancing. The song was written by John DeNicola and Franke Previte, who also penned the Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes Dirty Dancing hit “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life.” A year later, Carmen had another hit when “Make Me Lose Control” went to No. 3.
Throughout his career, Carmen released six solo albums through I Was Born to Love You in 2000 and later toured with Ringo Starr and the All-Starr Band that year and again with Raspberries in 2004 for a brief reunion. In 2014, the Raspberries “Go All the Way” also had a resurgence when it appeared on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack.
Carmen is survived by his wife and their two children, Clayton and Kathryn.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
