Eric Carmen. Image: Eric Carmen’s website
Eric Carmen, best known for his hit song “All By Myself” and for being the former Raspberries frontman, died in his sleep at the age of 74, his wife Amy Carmen confirmed.
“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,” Amy said in a statement released on the late singer’s website on Tuesday, March 12.
“It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy,” she added.
Amy appealed to the public to respect their family’s privacy as they grieve Eric’s death. Concluding her statement, Amy added a lyric from Eric’s song: “Love Is All That Matters…Faithful and Forever.”
Further details on the singer’s demise were not immediately known.
Image: Eric Carmen’s website
Eric rose to fame in the 1970s as the frontman of American pop band Raspberries, which was formed in his hometown in Cleveland, Ohio.
“After seeing The Beatles film, ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ I dropped everything and immediately decided I wanted to do THAT! I taught myself to play guitar (sort of) and joined my first band a few months later,” Eric wrote on his website.
“For the next few years, I bounced from one band to another until I eventually wound up with three guys who had, at one time, been my heroes. That band was the Raspberries,” he stated.
After producing hits such as “Go All the Way” and “I Wanna Be with You,” the group “collapsed under the pressure” and disbanded in 1975.
In the same year, Eric recorded his first solo album including the track “All By Myself,” which later had a remake version by Celine Dion and producer David Foster.
Eric cemented his name in the music industry, with his songs sung by Frank Sinatra, Mötley Crüe, Diana Ross, Olivia Newton-John, Axl Rose and Tom Jones, among many others.