The songwriter of the hit "All By Myself," Eric Carmen, died this weekend at the age of 74, his wife, Amy Carmen, announced in a statement posted on the artist's website. The one who was also the leader and guitarist of the musical group The Raspberries died for reasons that the family decided not to reveal although, the publication claims, he died "in his sleep":
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.'
Eric Carmen was born in Cleveland on August 11, 1949. Son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, the artist began to show his passion for music since he was little. In fact, Variety magazine reports, he began taking violin lessons with his aunt (a leading violinist in the Cleveland Orchestra) at age six. A few years later, he began to learn to play both the piano and the guitar and, already in high school, he explored his role as a songwriter, creating songs and playing in various rock groups.
"All By Myself," the song with which Eric Carmen established himself
In 1970 , when Eric Carmen was in his early 20s, he created the group The Raspberries. The band, which also included Jim Bonfanti (on drums), lead singer and guitarist Wally Bryson and John Aleksic who, a year later, was replaced by Dave Smalley, was part of the musical scene until 1974, when The Raspberries decided to disband.
This, however, did not mean the end of Eric Carmen in music. Just one year later, in 1975, he composed what would become his greatest hit "All By Myself," with which he sold more than a million copies and which spent three weeks in second place on the Billboard chart.
More than a decade later, in 1987, the singer triumphed again. This time with the song "Hungry Eyes," which was part of the original soundtrack of the "Dirty Dancing" movie and which reached both fourth place on the Billboard Hot 100 list and third place on the Cash Box Top 100 list during 1988.
Other hits for which the artist Eric Carmen will be remembered are "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again"(1976), "She Did It" (1977) and "Make Me Lose Control" (1978). With five albums published, his last studio work, titled "I Was Born To Love You," premiered in 2000, marking Eric Carmen's retirement from the public stage.
