On this day (February 4) in 1983, Karen Carpenter died of a cardiac arrest in her parents’ Downey, California, home at the age of 32. She gained fame as the drummer and vocalist for the Carpenters, the duo she formed with her brother, Richard.
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Carpenter started learning to play drums in high school. In college, she honed her vocal abilities in the Long Beach State choir. The siblings performed with multiple bands in the 1960s. Then, in late 1968, they chose to become a duo and officially became the Carpenters.
Originally, Karen Carpenter was the duo’s full-time drummer and co-lead vocalist. However, her small stature made it hard to see her during live performances. After some persuasion from her brother and their manager, she agreed to step out from behind her kit. This placed her and her contralto vocals front and center. By the mid-1970s, she was the focal point of all of the band’s concerts. She also sang lead on most tracks on their albums.
The duo scored several hits on the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts throughout the 1970s. With the success of their albums, singles, and concert tours, the brother-sister duo should have been on top of the world. However, eating disorders, substance abuse, and other personal issues contributed to their downfall and, in the end, Karen Carpenter’s death.
Karen Carpenter’s Story Is a Tragic One
According to an article by Randy Schmidt for The Guardian, Karen Carpenter started dieting in high school. She maintained a healthy weight until the mid 1970s, when she saw a concert photo. She believed her stage attire made her look heavy. As a result, she hired a personal trainer who changed her diet. Carpenter wanted to be slim, but the new diet and exercise routine made her build muscle. So, she fired her trainer. She suffered from anorexia, and the disease was ramping up.
“Although her voice was never affected, you could hear gasps from the audience when she came onstage, and there was considerable mail from fans asking what was wrong,” Richard Carpenter wrote in a piece for People.
In the early 1980s, she traveled to New York to get treatment for the disease. Eventually, she was hospitalized and was fed intravenously. Carpenter eventually returned to a healthy weight, and her relationship with food was beginning to improve. Unfortunately, malnutrition combined with the medications she used to keep her weight down had taken a toll on her body. The cardiac arrest that took her life was a result of her anorexia.
While her story is tragic, Karen Carpenter left behind a legacy of timeless music and set a high bar for vocalists everywhere.
Featured Image by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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