Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

2 hours ago

Will Valadao Spoil Trump’s Plan for July 4th ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Signing?

3 hours ago

Shaver Lake and Reedley 4th of July Shows Are Wednesday. Who Else Is Celebrating?

6 hours ago

Elon Musk Says Senate Bill Would Destroy Jobs and Harm US

6 hours ago

Israel Strikes Pound Gaza, Killing 60, Ahead of US Talks on Ceasefire

7 hours ago

Trump’s Administration Finds Harvard Violated Students’ Civil Rights, WSJ Reports

8 hours ago

How Did the Supreme Court Rule? Here’s a Look at the Big Cases

2 days ago
Eric Carmen, the Raspberries Frontman and ‘All by Myself’ and 'Hungry Eyes' Singer, Dies at 74
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 1 year ago on
March 12, 2024

Share

Carmen had 13 songs in the Billboard Hot 100, including three in the Top 10.

He launched a successful solo career after the Raspberries ended their first run.

His recording of “Hungry Eyes” was featured on the “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack.


NEW YORK — Singer-songwriter Eric Carmen, who fronted the power-pop 1970s band the Raspberries and later had soaring pop hits like “All by Myself” and “Hungry Eyes” from the hit “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack, has died. He was 74.

His death was announced on his website by his wife, Amy Carmen, who did not reveal a cause, saying only that he died “in his sleep, over the weekend.”

Legacy of Eric Carmen

“It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy,” the message read.

Carmen had 13 songs in the Billboard Hot 100, including three in the Top 10. The Raspberries, which formed in Cleveland, had four Top 40 singles, including the Top 5 hit “Go All the Way.”

Formed in 1970, the Raspberries made four albums for Capitol Records and were known for their matching suits at a time when most bands had abandoned them.

“Almost every band had hair down to their waist and beards and ripped jeans and they looked like a bunch of hippies, and I wanted to get as far away from that as I could,” Carmen told the Observer in 2017.

The Raspberries and Solo Career

The Raspberries’ second album, “Fresh,” released in 1972, would be their highest charting, hitting No. 36 and featuring two Top 40 hits, “I Wanna Be With You” and “Let’s Pretend.”

The Raspberries ended their first run in 1975, two years after creative differences hastened the departures of drummer Jim Bonfanti and bassist Dave Smalley.

Carmen then launched a solo career and his self-titled debut included the soaring hit “All By Myself,” which sold more than 1 million copies in the U.S. and reached No. 2 in 1976. His other hits included “Make Me Lose Control” — a No. 3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988 — and he co-wrote “Almost Paradise,” sung by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson, which peaked at No. 7 in 1984.

Later Years and Reunion

Carmen’s albums include 1977’s self-produced and autobiographical “Boats Against the Current,” 1978’s “Change of Heart” and 1980’s “Tonight You’re Mine.” His songs “Nowhere to Hide” and “Desperate Fools” are soft rock classics.

In 1984, he released a second self-titled album, teaming up with Bob Gaudio from Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. It had the single “I Wanna Hear It from Your Lips.” In 1987, he had another massive hit when his recording of “Hungry Eyes” was featured on 1987’s “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack, reaching the Top 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and propelling the album to sales of over 32 million copies.

Carmen was born in Cleveland and was musical early, taking violin lessons at 6 and later learning piano and guitar. He was a student at John Carroll University when he joined a local group called Cyrus Erie. He and another Cyrus Erie member, guitarist Wally Bryson, joined forces with former members of a band called the Choir to form the Raspberries, combining melodies, guitar riffs and lush ballads.

He and the Raspberries reunited for a couple of shows in late 2004 at Cleveland’s House of Blues, which led to dates around the country the following year and the album “Live on Sunset Strip,” which included liner notes by no less a fan than Bruce Springsteen, who hailed the Raspberries as “THE great underrated power pop masters.”

“It’s more satisfying now to go onstage and play with these guys than it ever was,” Carmen told The Plain Dealer in 2007. “It’s also nice that after 30-some years, we finally seem to be eliciting the respect of the media and people who maybe the first time around didn’t quite get it.”

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, No Containment Yet

DON'T MISS

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

DON'T MISS

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

DON'T MISS

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

DON'T MISS

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

DON'T MISS

DOJ Announces Arrest, Indictments in North Korean IT Worker Scheme

DON'T MISS

Fresno Man Arrested in Clovis for Sex-Related Crimes Against Minor

DON'T MISS

Dyer’s Lobbying Works. Fresno Gets $100M for Downtown From State

DON'T MISS

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

DON'T MISS

S&P 500, Nasdaq Close at Record Highs, Cap Best Quarter in Over a Year

UP NEXT

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

UP NEXT

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

UP NEXT

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

UP NEXT

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

UP NEXT

DOJ Announces Arrest, Indictments in North Korean IT Worker Scheme

UP NEXT

Fresno Man Arrested in Clovis for Sex-Related Crimes Against Minor

UP NEXT

Dyer’s Lobbying Works. Fresno Gets $100M for Downtown From State

UP NEXT

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

UP NEXT

S&P 500, Nasdaq Close at Record Highs, Cap Best Quarter in Over a Year

UP NEXT

935 People Killed in Israeli Strikes on Iran, Official Says

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

35 minutes ago

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

42 minutes ago

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

43 minutes ago

DOJ Announces Arrest, Indictments in North Korean IT Worker Scheme

46 minutes ago

Fresno Man Arrested in Clovis for Sex-Related Crimes Against Minor

1 hour ago

Dyer’s Lobbying Works. Fresno Gets $100M for Downtown From State

1 hour ago

Suspect Identified in Ambush Shooting That Killed 2 Idaho Firefighters

2 hours ago

S&P 500, Nasdaq Close at Record Highs, Cap Best Quarter in Over a Year

2 hours ago

935 People Killed in Israeli Strikes on Iran, Official Says

3 hours ago

Fresno Fire Destroys Home Under Construction, Displaces Six

3 hours ago

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

WASHINGTON – Bryan Kohberger, who was accused of the 2022 killings of four Idaho college students, has agreed to plea guilty to all co...

8 seconds ago

Bryan Koberger, who is accused of killing four University of Idaho students, listens during a hearing to overturn his grand jury indictment in Moscow, Idaho, U.S., October 26, 2023. (Reuters File)
8 seconds ago

Bryan Kohberger Pleads Guilty in Murders of Four Idaho Students, ABC News Reports

The Blanca Fire, burning 12 acres northwest of Lake Madera Country Estates in Madera County, remains active with 0% containment and no reported injuries or structural damage as the cause is under investigation as of Monday, June 30, 2025. (CalFire)
15 minutes ago

Wildfire Near Lake Madera Country Estates Burns 12 Acres, No Containment Yet

Fresno County CHP arrested two on Interstate 5 after finding about one kilogram of suspected cocaine, a loaded ghost gun, and counterfeit money during a vehicle search on Sunday, June 29, 2025. (CHP)
30 minutes ago

Fresno County CHP Arrest Two in Interstate 5 Drug, Gun, and Counterfeit Money Bust

Gov. Newsom warns Californians to celebrate the Fourth of July safely, emphasizing zero tolerance for illegal fireworks which have surged to over 600,000 pounds seized this year. (Shutterstock)
35 minutes ago

California Seizes Over 600,000 Pounds of Illegal Fireworks. Newsom Calls for Safe Celebrations

President Donald Trump delivers remarks on tariffs in the Rose Garden at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., April 2, 2025. (Reuters File)
42 minutes ago

Where Trade Talks Stand With Major US Partners Ahead of Tariffs-Hike Deadline

43 minutes ago

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

Miniatures of people with computers are seen in front of North Korea flag in this illustration taken July 19, 2023. (Reuters File)
46 minutes ago

DOJ Announces Arrest, Indictments in North Korean IT Worker Scheme

Rick Bracamontes Jr., 50, of Fresno, a personal trainer was arrested in Clovis on Thursday, June 26, 2025, for allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a teenage client, and police believe ther
1 hour ago

Fresno Man Arrested in Clovis for Sex-Related Crimes Against Minor

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend