Eric Howard Carmen (August 11, 1949 – March 2024) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and keyboardist.
Born in Cleveland, Ohio, Carmen rose to fame as the frontman of the 1970s pop-rock group The Raspberries, whose tidy haircuts and matching suits appeared to reference the uniform looks of The Beatles and other defining groups of the British Invasion.
“We became immensely popular by going completely against the grain in 1970,” Carmen wrote in his website bio. “Prog-rock was ‘in,’ and FM radio clutched it to its bosom. I hated it. I loved the Beatles, The Who, the Byrds, the Stones, the Beach Boys and the Small Faces. I loved bands that could WRITE!”
When the Raspberries broke up in 1975, Carmen found success as a solo artist with a string of ballads and mid-tempo rock songs that really showed off his vocal range, including “All By Myself, “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again,” and “Change of Heart.” He scored one of his biggest hits in 1987 with “Hungry Eyes” off the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.
Carmen married three times. His was first married to Marcy Hill from October 31, 1978 to August 3, 1979; the marriage ended in divorce. His second marriage, to Susan Brown, was from May 22, 1993 until 2009. The couple had two children, Kathryn and Clayton, before divorcing. He married his third wife, former newscaster Amy Murphy, in 2016.
On March 11, 2024, Carmen’s wife Amy announced on his website that he had died “over the weekend” (March 9–10) in his sleep, giving neither a cause nor a specific date of death. He was 74.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen,” a post on his website says. “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,” the post said.
Rest in peace, Eric.
Here are some of his famous songs:
All By Myself
Hungry Eyes
Never Gonna Fall In Love Again
Tributes to Eric Carmen
Damn. Another friend gone. RIP Eric Carmen. The Raspberries set a production standard we’re still trying to reach. Deepest love and condolences to Amy and the family.
— 🕉🇺🇦🟦Stevie Van Zandt☮️💙 (@StevieVanZandt) 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
Devastated to hear this news. Eric Carmen & The Raspberries were 1st rock music I ever heard. The power chords of Go All The Way literally introduced me to rock & set me on my path. I knew Eric & did much w/ him during bands reunion. RIP to a true great pic.twitter.com/QtspY7Mf7h
— Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) March 12, 2024