Karen Carpenter

Karen Carpenter
Carpenter at the White House in 1972
Carpenter at the White House in 1972
Background information
Birth nameKaren Anne Carpenter
Born(1950-03-02)March 2, 1950[1]
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
OriginDowney, California, U.S.
DiedFebruary 4, 1983(1983-02-04) (aged 32)[1]
Downey, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Singer
  • musician
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • drums
Years active1968–1983
LabelsA&M
Formerly of
Spouse(s)
Thomas Burris
​
​
(m. 1980; sep. 1981)​
Websiterichardandkarencarpenter.com

Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer who formed half of the highly successful duo Carpenters with her older brother Richard.[2] With a distinctive three-octave contralto range, she was praised by her peers for her vocal skills.[3][4][5][6] Carpenter's work continues to attract praise, including appearing on Rolling Stone's 2010 list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.

Carpenter was born in New Haven, Connecticut, and moved to Downey, California in 1963 with her family. She began to study the drums in high school and joined the Long Beach State choir after graduating. 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. 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.

In 1975, Carpenter started exhibiting symptoms of anorexia nervosa due to the severe pressures of fame and her complicated family dynamics.[2][7][8] She was plagued by the disease for years and died in 1983 at age 32 of heart failure due to complications from anorexia, which was little-known outside celebrity circles at the time; and her death triggered widespread attention and research into eating disorders and body dysmorphia.[7] Interest in her life and death has spawned numerous documentaries and films.[2]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference rollingstone was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Randy Schmidt (October 24, 2010). "Karen Carpenter's tragic story". The Guardian. Retrieved November 14, 2022.
  3. ^ "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Rolling Stone. December 2, 2010. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
  4. ^ Hoerburger, Rob (November 3, 1991). "Recordings View; Revisionist Thinking on the Carpenters". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 27, 2022. Retrieved November 29, 2022.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. ^ Samberg, Joel (February 4, 2013). "Remembering Karen Carpenter, 30 Years Later". NPR. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 26, 2018.
  6. ^ Tauriello, Dena (December 2013). "What Do You Know About...Karen Carpenter?". Modern Drummer. Archived from the original on September 20, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  7. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference second was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Little Girl Blue explores the life and legacy of Karen Carpenter". The A.V. Club. July 21, 2016. Retrieved November 14, 2022.