This month marks the passing of Eric Carmen. News of his death comes from his website, on behalf of his wife. “It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen,” shared Amy Carmen. He was 74 when he died, but as of the evening of March 11, no specific cause or date of death has been specified but his Wikipedia page currently lists Monday as the day he passed.
Carmen was known as the lead vocalist for the Raspberries and for several hit songs, including “Hungry Eyes,” “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again,” “Make Me Lose Control,” and “All by Myself.” Their single “Go All the Way” enjoyed a million sales.
Mourning the passing of Eric Carmen
“Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend,” the announcement via Amy shared. “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.” She ended with a reference to his work, saying, “Love Is All That Matters… Faithful and Forever.”
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Carmen was born on August 11, 1949, in Cleveland, Ohio, and got to playing music by the time he was just two years old. By the age of three, Carmen was part of the Cleveland Institute of Music’s Dalcroze Eurhythmics program. He received violin lessons from his aunt who was a violinist for the Cleveland Orchestra. All this meant that two years shy of becoming a teenager, Carmen was harboring dreams of composing his own songs from the ground up.
Carmen was able to “Go All the Way”
Carmen made good on those aspirations, cultivating his music talents through high school in bands, with self-taught efforts to learn the guitar, and some reportedly wayward formal lessons; the story goes, his methods of playing drew ire from his teacher, and so he parted ways and focused on teaching himself.
His first band was Cyrus Erie, which ultimately disbanded, along with the follow-up the Choir, in the ’60s. But this was immediately followed by him, Wally Bryson had been playing with friends Jim Bonfanti and Dave Smalley forming the Raspberries.
As heavy glam and rock started to reshape the music landscape, Carmen continued to draw heavy inspiration from the Beatles – but he could still match the most intense rockers of the time. Although the band formally broke up in the ’70s, Carmen kept the momentum going as a solo artist, gracing the soundwaves with “Hey Deanie,” “Hungry Eyes,” “Love Is All That Matters,” and more.
Carmen is survived by his wife Amy, as well as two children, Kathryn and Clayton. Rest in peace.
