Eric Carmen, who became an icon of early ’70s power pop as the frontman of the Raspberries before achieving solo success with hits like “All By Myself” and “Hungry Eyes,” has died at age 74, reports Variety.
Carmen's wife, Amy Carmen, shared the following message via his official website: "It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen. 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. Please respect the family’s privacy as we mourn our enormous loss. ‘Love Is All That Matters… Faithful and Forever.'”
The latter quote from Carmen’s wife is a callback to the song “Love Is All That Matters,” from his 1977 solo album, Boats Against The Current. No cause of death or exact date of death has been announced.
While mostly known as a balladeer, in his early years the Cleveland-born musician was the primary singer and songwriter of the Raspberries, who rebelled against the heavy, glam and progressive-rock scenes of the early ’70s and threw back to the Beatlesesque pop they were raised on. Carmen was not only a deft (if deliberately derivative) songwriter but also a full-throttle rock and roll shouter in the Paul McCartney/ Steve Marriott tradition, and the author of several classic songs of the genre, including the band’s highly suggestive first and biggest hit, “Go All The Way,” as well as “I Wanna Be With You,” “Let’s Pretend,” “Tonight” and “Overnight Sensation.”
The group was often lambasted at the time for being too pop or wimpy, but the Raspberries could be a powerhouse rock band when they chose to. Along with kindred spirits Badfinger, Big Star and Todd Rundgren, they created a model that has been revived multiple times over the decades, most vividly in the early ‘90s with bands like Teenage Fanclub, the Posies and even Nirvana: Kurt Cobain was a fan, as well as Bruce Springsteen — who contributed liner notes to a live reunion album — KISS and Mötley Crüe.
After the band broke up in the mid-’70s, Carmen established himself as a successful solo artist with “All by Myself,” “Never Gonna Fall In Love Again” and “Hey Deanie” (a hit for Shaun Cassidy). His run of hits continued into the ’80s with the Dirty Dancing song “Hungry Eyes.”
Read more at Variety.com.
