Carmen first found fame as a member of the power pop band The Raspberries in the early 1970s.
Eric Carmen, the singer-songwriter behind such hit songs as All by Myself and Hungry Eyes, has died at the age of 74, it has been confirmed.
The news was announced by Carmen’s wife Amy, who posted a statement on his official website reading: “Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend.”
She continued: “It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy.”
She also asked fans to “respect the family’s privacy as we mourn our enormous loss”, and ended the statement with a line from the song Love Is All That Matters, which featured on Carmen’s 1977 solo album Boats Against the Current.
Eric Carmen’s official website is posting that he died over the weekend. A power-pop titan with the Raspberries, ’70s pop immortal thanks to “All By Myself” and ’80s hitmaker with the ‘Dirty Dancing’ classic “Hungry Eyes.” https://t.co/V2Vnl3vuTD pic.twitter.com/Kbd6CtgADx
— Annie Zaleski (@anniezaleski) March 12, 2024
Carmen was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1949 and first rose to fame as a member of the power pop group The Raspberries, who formed in 1970 and released four albums across the first half of the ’70s.
Following the band’s split in 1975, Carmen enjoyed a successful solo career – with his most famous hit All by Myself reaching No.2 in the chart and achieving further success after it was famously covered by Celine Dion in 1996.
Meanwhile, his 1987 song Hungry Eyes featured in the soundtrack for the beloved film Dirty Dancing, while other hits from his career included Never Gonna Fall in Love Again, She Did It, and Make Me Lose Control.
Musician and The Sopranos star Steve Van Zandt was among those to pay tribute, writing on X (formerly Twitter): “Damn. Another friend gone. RIP Eric Carmen. The Raspberries set a production standard we’re still trying to reach. Deepest love and condolences to Amy and the family.”
Damn. Another friend gone. RIP Eric Carmen. The Raspberries set a production standard we’re still trying to reach. Deepest love and condolences to Amy and the family.
— 🕉🇺🇦🟦Stevie Van Zandt☮️💙 (@StevieVanZandt) March 12, 2024
Meanwhile, music critic Steven Hyden shared The Raspberries hit Go All the Way and wrote: “RIP Eric Carmen. The arena rock Alex Chilton. The Raspberries are power-pop royalty. They have at least a half dozen absolutely perfect rock songs including this one.”
Kiss frontman Paul Stanley added: “Awful News. Eric Carmen has died. Although known to many for writing radio hits like All By Myself and others, Eric was a true rocker at heart. His voice had elements of McCartney and Steve Marriott. The Raspberries did shows with us. A killer band live & I loved their records.”