Eric Carmen, the singer of “Hungry Eyes” and former Raspberries frontman, has died. He was 74.
The “All By Myself” crooner and writer’s death was announced on his official website by his wife, Amy Carmen.
“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen,” read the statement, over a black-and-white portrait of a younger 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.”
Amy requested privacy for Carmen’s family as they grieve their “enormous loss.”
“‘Love Is All That Matters…Faithful and Forever,’” the statement concluded, in a nod to Carmen’s 1977 track, “Love Is All That Matters.”
Carmen’s solo career, dominated by power ballads, followed his tenure with The Raspberries until the rock band broke up in 1975. Carmen wrote or co-wrote the majority of the band’s songs. He was responsible for penning their most notable, 1972’s “Go All the Way,” which was inspired by The Rolling Stones’ “Let’s Spend the Night Together.” The song’s suggestive lyrics resulted in a ban in the U.K. More recently, it was featured on the soundtrack for the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” film in 2014.
Carmen struck gold in 1976 with “All By Myself” and “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again,” both of which were based on works by Sergei Rachmaninov, The Guardian reports. The former remains Carmen’s highest-ranked hit on the Billboard Hot 100, having peaked at No. 2.
Many pieces of media have gone on to feature “All By Myself,” either Carmen’s original or covers by Celine Dion or Jewel, as was the case in the film “Clueless.” The song has also been featured in “Friends,” “Angel,” “Glee,” “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising” and more.
“Hungry Eyes” was famously featured in “Dirty Dancing,” which in 1987 saw Carmen peak at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The following year, he peaked at No. 3 with “Make Me Lose Control.”
Carmen is survived by Amy and their children, Clayton and Kathryn.
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