The American musician Eric Carmen, vocalist of the group Raspberries and author of great hits in the 70s and 80s such as ‘All by Myself’, ‘Never Gonna Fall in Love Again’ and ‘Hungry Eyes’, died at the age of 74, according to his widow in a statement.
“It is with tremendous sadness that I share the heartbreaking news of Eric Carmen’s passing. Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep over the weekend,” explains Amy Carmen on the performer and composer’s website.
It gave the Cleveland, Ohio-born artist “great joy” to know that, for decades, “his music touched many and will be his lasting legacy,” the message adds.
Amy Carmen also asked fans to “respect the family’s privacy as we mourn our enormous loss.”
The cause of death was not specified.
Who was Eric Carmen and what was his career like?
Born in 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio, Eric Carmen began his musical career by co-founding the rock band “The Raspberries” in the 1970s, which broke up five years later.
The band’s first album included a label that smelled like raspberries when scratched.
The group reunited in 2004. A concert from that tour was recorded and released as an album in 2017, “Raspberries Pop Art Live.”
In addition to the success of “All by Myself”, Carmen had another moment of glory with “Hungry Eyes”, part of the soundtrack of the popular film “Dirty Dancing” (1987), with Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.
His song “Almost Paradise,” which he co-wrote for the film “Footloose,” earned him a Grammy Award nomination.
Their hits have been covered by artists as diverse as Céline Dion (“All By Myself”), Shaun Cassidy (“That’s Rock ‘n Roll”) and John Travolta (“Never Gonna Fall in Love Again”).
