Karen Anne Carpenter
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Film credits
Karen Carpenter, of The Carpenters, sold over 55 million albums by June 1981 with her brother Richard. She died at 32 from heart failure caused by chronic anorexia, raising public awareness of eating disorders. Her best-known songs include They Long to Be Close to You and We’ve Only Just Begun.
Names, aliases, and relatives of Karen Carpenter — birth name, kin, and personal ties.
Karen Carpenter by the numbers — life, work, and family.
Karen Carpenter — early life, career, personal life, and legacy.
Karen Anne Carpenter was born on March 2, 1950, in New Haven, Connecticut. Her family moved to Downey, California, in 1963 when she was 13.
Her older brother Richard Carpenter formed an instrumental trio with Karen on drums and Wes Jacobs on bass, winning first place in a battle of the bands at the Hollywood Bowl in 1966. That early success led to a short-lived contract with RCA Records.
The Carpenters’ breakthrough came in 1970 with the single They Long to Be Close to You, which sold a million copies and became their first Gold record. They went on to win three Grammy Awards and land their own television variety series Make Your Own Kind of Music in 1971.
Karen Carpenter also recorded a solo album in 1979 with producer Phil Ramone, though it was shelved until 1996. By 1977, the Carpenters had received 11 Gold records from Japan.
Karen Carpenter married real estate developer Thomas James Burris on August 31, 1980, but the marriage lasted only a year before they separated. She was planning to sign divorce papers on the day she died.
She struggled with anorexia nervosa from the late 1970s; it forced cancellation of a European tour in 1975. In 1982, she underwent treatment in New York City and was beginning to recover when she died suddenly in February 1983.
Karen Carpenter’s death from anorexia in 1983 brought unprecedented public attention to eating disorders, saving lives through increased awareness. The Carpenters remain A&M Records’ biggest-selling artists, and her brother Richard has released posthumous albums using her vocals.
She was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on October 12, 1983, alongside Richard. She is remembered for her distinctive contralto vocals and her tragic end that highlighted the dangers of anorexia.
The complete filmography of Karen Carpenter — every film, TV show, and documentary credit, ranked by popularity.
A wall of memorable lines from Karen Carpenter — lyrics, interviews, and off-the-cuff remarks captured over a lifetime.
We Spent an Awful Lot of Time Trying to Achieve Perfection as Close as We Can Come. It’s the Foremost Thing in Both of Our Minds, at All Times.
We Had to Speak Out and Tell the Truth About Us as It Is. It’s Hell Living Like a Pair of Angels.
People Never Think of Entertainers as Being Human. When You Walk Out on Stage the Audience Think, Nothing Can Go Wrong with Them. We Get Sick and We Have Headaches Just Like They Do. When We Are Cut, We Bleed.
I Enjoy Money. Not Enough People in This World Are Happy. I’m Determined to Be Contented, and Having Money from Working Makes It Easier for Me.
It’s Kind of Nice to Be Remembered by Your Peers and Your Fans, Because You Can Achieve a Lot of Success and Be a Creep Too! but We Try to Be Nice, Just Normal People.
We Came Out Right in the Middle of the Hard-rock Period… It Was Hard-rock Everywhere! but We Were Ready to Make Our Music, You Know? and It Was Such a Turnaround, I Guess It Caught People by Surprise.
The Image We Have Would Be Impossible for Mickey Mouse to Maintain. We’re Just… Normal People.
Little-known facts about Karen Carpenter — origins, oddities, and behind-the-scenes details from a public life.
Karen Carpenter died while still legally married to Thomas Burris; she was planning to sign divorce papers on the day she died.
After her recovery from anorexia, Karen Carpenter planned to go public about her struggle with the disorder.
Following the Carpenters’ success in the early 1970s, Karen and Richard Carpenter bought two apartment buildings in Downey, California, naming them Close to You and Only Just Begun.
The Carpenters’ Newville house at 9828 Newville Avenue in Downey, California, is pictured in their album Now & Then and is the same house where Karen died.
Karen Carpenter had surgery on her ear for impaired hearing in the late 1970s.
Songwriter Paul Williams wrote Rainy Days and Mondays for Karen Carpenter.
Karen Carpenter’s high-profile death is credited with creating massive public awareness of anorexia nervosa and bulimia, potentially saving many lives.
While being treated for anorexia, Karen Carpenter embroidered a sign above her hospital bed that read You win, I gain!
In 1970, They Long to Be Close to You became The Carpenters’ first certified Gold single.
By June 1981, The Carpenters had sold over 55 million albums.
As of April 2004, Richard Carpenter has made four new Carpenters albums since Karen’s death using unreleased songs.
Karen Carpenter’s favorite TV shows included Dallas, Marcus Welby, M.D., and I Love Lucy.
The song Now, recorded in April 1982, was the last song Karen Carpenter ever recorded.
Karen Carpenter had her own personalized driver’s license plate that read KAC3.
In 1976, she bought a Century City condominium at 2222 Avenue of the Stars, gutting two apartments to create one.
On September 4, 1978, The Carpenters gave their last concert at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The Carpenter Private Mausoleum in Westlake Village, California, is a 46,000-pound Partenope-style structure with 6 spaces; Karen, Agnes, and Harold use 3.
Karen Carpenter said she never smoked, did drugs, or drank, except for occasional wine.
At age 30, she made a solo album with Phil Ramone titled Karen Carpenter, but it was shelved by Herb Alpert and released in 1996.
She did not like the song Superstar until hearing her brother’s arrangement; she then considered it one of her favorites.
Quick answers to the questions readers ask most about Karen Carpenter.
Celebrities similar to Karen Carpenter — same craft, ranked by reach.
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