Eric Carmen, leader of the power pop band Raspberries and singer of solo hits such as All By Miself, Never Gonna Fall in Love Again and Hungry Eyes, died last weekend at the age of 74.
The musician’s wife, Amy Carmen, was in charge of announcing his death through her official website. No explanation has been given as to the cause of his death, except that the singer died “in his sleep.”
“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of Eric Carmen’s passing,” writes his wife. “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 people and will be his lasting legacy. Please respect the family’s privacy as we mourn our enormous loss.
The musician’s wife concludes her message with a quote: “Love is all that matters… Faithful and forever.” Some words that the singer’s followers will recognize, as they are part of the song Love Is All That Matters, from the album Boats Against the Current that Carmen recorded as a solo artist in 1977.
The American singer is responsible for several of the greatest music hits of the 70s and 80s. First, in his role as leader of the Raspberries, for whom he wrote most of their songs, such as Let’s Pretend, Overnight Sensation (Hit Record ) or I Wanna Be With You. He is also the author of his biggest hit, Go All the Way, which was banned by some stations for its suggestive lyrics; and from 1975, as a soloist.
It was precisely in this new stage, more focused on ballads and away from rock, when he achieved two of the great hits that would go down in posterity: All By Myself and Never Gonna Fall In Love Again. Both songs, curiously, based on symphonies by the Russian composer Sergei Rachmaninoff.
After these successes, Carmen would return to the top of music with songs for movie soundtracks. He is the co-author of Almost Paradise (1984), the hit of the legendary Footloose; but it was Hungry Eyes, in 1987, that would make him one of the most listened to musicians of the year thanks to the film Dirty Dancing.
In 2000, Carmen returned to the stage with Ringo Starr and the All-Starr Band on a tour; and in 2004 he would be seen live for the last time, this time reuniting with the Raspberries for a series of special concerts. In 2013 he released his latest single, Brand New Year.
