The former lead vocalist of The Raspberries, Eric Carmen, passed away at the age of 74.
While being known for The Raspberries, he is commonly known for his hit songs “All by Myself” and “Hungry Eyes” from the infamous Dirty Dancing.
RIP to musician Eric Carmen who has passed away at the age of 74. Some of Carmen's biggest hits of the '80s included "Hungry Eyes" & Make Me Lose Control". #RIPEricCarmen pic.twitter.com/kSHAIW6edc
— LandOfThe80s (@landofthe80s) March 12, 2024
Carmen, who grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, rose to fame as the frontman of The Raspberries, with striking similarities to The Beatles.
CNN Entertainment has more on some of Carmen’s major achievements:
Carmen built his solo career on knockout ballads such as “All by Myself” – later belted to legendary heights by Celine Dion – and “Hungry Eyes,” which provided the steamy soundtrack backdrop for an intensifying love between Johnny and Baby in “Dirty Dancing.”
Another of Carmen’s most memorable hits was written for a movie soundtrack. He co-wrote “Almost Paradise,” the love theme of the movie “Footloose,” which was performed by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson. The song earned him his sole Grammy nomination when the soundtrack competed for Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture.
“All by Myself,” “Make Me Lose Control and “Hungry Eyes” peaked in top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 and each spent more than four months on the chart. In all, 13 of Carmen’s songs had a place on the chart.
There was no cause of death given at this time, but his wife, Amy Carmen, mentioned he passed away in his sleep.
Fox News has more on Amy’s comments:
“Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend,” his wife Amy Carmen posted in a brief statement. “It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy.”
Amy asked for respect for the family’s privacy as they mourn their “enormous loss.”
Many have taken to X to pay tribute to Eric:
Heartbreaking news. 💔
Eric Carmen, who was the frontman of the Raspberries before going on to solo success died in his sleep.
Rest in peace, Eric Carmen,
your music & legacy will live on. pic.twitter.com/Tbm6jKITyk— CeCe ✞ 🌴 🇺🇸 (@Ohio_buckeye_us) March 12, 2024
Sad news today: Eric Carmen lead singer of the Raspberries and legendary soloist has passed away a huge influence to many rock singers of today R.I.P. Eric you may be gone but your music will live on pic.twitter.com/79DxOGRlGo
— 1mZerOCool🍎🎸🤘 (@1mZerOCool) March 12, 2024
Awful News. Eric Carmen has died. Although known to many for writing radio hits like “All By Myself” and others, Eric was a true rocker at heart. His voice had elements of McCartney and Steve Marriott. The Raspberries did shows with us. A killer band live & I loved their records. pic.twitter.com/JtOvsxjsU3
— Paul Stanley (@PaulStanleyLive) March 12, 2024
Saddened to hear of Eric Carmen’s passing at the young age of ‘74. He gave us one of the best rock songs ever…! A little reprise of a Saturday morning jam from 4 yrs ago. pic.twitter.com/is6AO7ftYg
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) March 12, 2024
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