American singer-songwriter Eric Carmen has died, aged 74.
Eric Carmen, frontman of the Raspberries and known for his solo hits ‘Hungry Eyes’ and ‘All By Myself’, has died aged 74. His death was reported by his wife Amy.
“Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend,” Amy Carmen’s notice wrote. “It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy.”
No cause of death was given.
Carmen was born in Cleveland, Ohio on 11 August 1949 to Russian Jewish immigrants. As a child he trained in classical piano and taught himself guitar. In the 60s, Carmen rose to fame as the lead singer of the Raspberries alongside Wally Bryson, Jim Bonfanti and Dave Smalley .
Between 1972 and 1974, the Raspberries released four albums with a sound inspired by British Invasion rock n’ roll artists like the Beatles, the Who and the Rolling Stones. The Raspberries biggest hit was ‘Go All the Way’.
Released in 1972, ‘Go All the Way’ went to number 5 on the US Billboard charts but was banned from being played by the BBC in the UK due to its sexually explicit lyrics. It has since had a new generation of listeners thanks to its inclusion on the Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack in 2014.
After the Raspberries disbanded in 1975, Carmen forged a successful solo career. His first solo single, ‘All By Myself’ was a huge hit. The piano melody, based on Sergei Rachmaninoff’s ‘Piano Concerto No. 2’ and the melodramatic vocals ensured the song’s popularity, but it’s the 1996 Celine Dion cover that has kept the song at the forefront of popular culture.
Over the next decade, Carmen released five solo albums. The next huge hit came though from the song the musician contributed to the soundtrack of 1987 film Dirty Dancing.
‘Hungry Eyes’ was a number 4 hit on the US Billboard charts and has been registered as a platinum record by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). Used in a pivotal scene of Dirty Dancing, it is Carmen’s most enduring hit.
Carmen released a sixth and final solo album ‘I Was Born to Love You’ in 2000 and reunited with the Raspberries for a mini-tour in 2004.
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