#KAREN CARPENTER LAST PHOTO TV#

They became one of the most successful groups in the early 1970s, won three Grammy Awards, and starred in their own TV variety series, 'Make Your Own Kind of Music.' Karen however, suffered from a relatively unknown illness, Anorexia Nervosa, which is characterized by obsessive dieting to the point of starvation.

Their first real hit was a reworked version of the Beatles hit 'Ticket to Ride,' followed by a reworked version of Burt Bacharach's 'Close to You,' which soon sold a million copies. After two albums, which were never released, Karen and Richard formed another band, and in 1970, they made several demo tapes which landed them a contract with A&M Records (founded by Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss). In 1966, their group won first place in the Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands, and landed a recording contract with RCA Records. Her older brother, Richard, put together an instrumental trio, with Richard playing the piano, Karen on the drums, and friend Wes Jacobs on the bass and tuba. Best remembered for her singing partnership with her brother, Richard, as 'The Carpenters.' Born in New Haven, Connecticut, she moved with her family to Downey, California in 1963.

Originally interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California, the remains of Karen and her parents were moved to a new location, the Carpenter family mausoleum at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California around 2003. Doctors later revealed that her long battle with Anorexia Nervosa had stressed her heart to the failure point. She collapsed there from cardiac arrest, and was pronounced dead by responding doctors. Although her marriage fell apart, she appeared as if she was beginning to take control of her life again, and on February 4, 1983, she went to her parent's house to sort through some of her old clothes. In the 1980s, she and her brother were back making records, but in 1982 she collapsed after a recording, and spent most of the year undergoing treatment. Although she received treatment for the disease, she never fully recovered, and it was discovered later that the disease had returned. Her illness surfaced in 1975, when they were forced to cancel a European tour, when she was too weak to perform.

Her work continues to attract praise, including appearing on Rolling Stone 's 2010 list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.Singer, Drummer. Interest in her life and death has spawned numerous documentaries and movies. While the Carpenters were on hiatus in the late 1970s, she recorded a solo album, which was released years after her death.Īt the age of 32, Carpenter died of heart failure due to complications from anorexia nervosa, which was little-known at the time, and her death led to increased visibility and awareness of eating disorders. Initially, Carpenter was the band's full-time drummer, but she gradually took the role of frontwoman as her drumming was reduced to a handful of live showcases or tracks on albums. After several years of touring and recording, the Carpenters were signed to A&M Records in 1969, achieving enormous commercial and critical success throughout the 1970s. She began to study the drums in high school and joined the Long Beach State choir after graduating. Carpenter was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and moved to Downey, California in 1963 with her family.

Karen carpenter last photo