(DailyDig.com) – The popular musician Eric Carmen, who was the lead singer of The Raspberries, died in his sleep at the age of 74.
His wife, Amy, released a statement on March 11, saying that he died over the weekend in his sleep. She did not identify the cause of his death. Carmen always found joy in knowing that his fans had treasured his music over the decades. She wrote that what his music meant to his fans would last as a legacy to the craft.
Carmen began his musical career at three years old, when he took lessons on the piano at the Cleveland Institute of Music in Cleveland, Ohio. After he heard The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who, he played the guitar after teaching himself and started to play with local bands.
As the Raspberries hitmaker, he teamed up with Jim Bonfanti, Wally Bryson, and Dave Smalley, all from Cleveland. Carmen was the main songwriter for the band, and Capitol Records signed them to release their first song in 1972. During the next five years, The Raspberries released their genre of pop with songs like “Go All the Way,” “I Wanna Be With You,” “Let’s Pretend,” and “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record).”
After the band broke up, Carmen began a solo career with his early single, “All By Myself,” which became a number 2 hit in the US, selling over a million copies. Some of his other hits included “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again,” “That’s Rock and Roll,” “Make Me Lose Control,” and “She Did It.”
Another chart topper, “Hungry Eyes,” was included in the soundtrack for the movie “Dirty Dancing.” Following that hit, Carmen’s “Make Me Lose Control” was a prominent feature in the televised Summer Olympics in Seoul.
Carmen and the rest of The Raspberries reunited in 2004 and 2005 for a series of concerts. Also, their song, “Go All the Way,” was used for the “Guardians of the Galaxy” soundtrack in 2014.
His wife survives Carmen. There are currently no plans for a memorial.
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