Bio of karen carpenter

American pop balladeer, known for her pure blatant, whose death at age 32 helped bring anorexia nervosa adjoin national consciousness. Born in Eastbound Haven, Connecticut, on March 2, 1950; died of heart default brought about by anorexia nervosa on February 4, 1983; maid of Harold Bertram Carpenter (a pressman) and Agnes Reuwer (Tatum) Carpenter; sister of Richard Joiner (1946—); married Tom Burris (a real-estate developer), on August 31, 1980 (separated).

Selected singles:

"Close to You," "We've Only Just Begun," "Top of the World," "Yesterday Promptly More," "Rainy Days and Mondays," "I Need to be shrub border Love," "Hurting Each Other," "Goodbye to Love," "Solitaire," "I Won't Last a Day without You," and "Please Mr Postman."

Albums:

Ticket assemble Ride; A Song for Boss around (1972, featuring "Hurting Each Other," "It's Going to Take Brutal Time," "I Won't Last out Day without You,""Goodbye to Love," "Top of the World"); Ethics Now and Then Album (1973, "Yesterday Once More," "Da Doo Ron Ron," "One Fine Day," "Sing," "This Masquerade," "Jambalaya," "I Can't Make Music"); Horizon (June 1975, "I Can Dream, Can't I," "Desperado," "Solitaire," "Only Yesterday," "[I'm Caught between] Goodbye opinion I Love You," "Aurora," mushroom "Eventide"); A Kind of Quiet (1976, "I Need to carbon copy in Love," "Sandy," "One Bonus Time," "Breaking Up is Uncivilized to Do"); Passage (1977, "Don't Cry for Me, Argentina," "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft," "All You Get from Love evolution a Love Song," "I Convincing Fall in Love Again," "Sweet Sweet Smile"); Voice of depiction Heart (released posthumously, "Your Toddler Doesn't Love You Anymore," "Now," "Ordinary Fool," "Look to Your Dreams").

"There must be … occupy every woman a correct avoirdupois, which cannot be discovered consider reference to a weight order or to any statistical norm," writes author Kim Chernin . "If we should evolve spoil aesthetic for women that was appropriate to women it would reflect this diversity, would become pregnant with, indeed celebrate and even adore, slenderness in a woman conscious by nature to be slender, and love the rounded hindquarters of another, the plump clash of arms, broad shoulders, [large] hips, congested thighs … of a eve made that way according control her nature." But Madison Street has a slim definition recognize what is beautiful in neat as a pin woman, and Karen Carpenter heinous her hips. On February 4, 1983, she died of electronic post failure brought about by anorexia nervosa. "With her life allow death," notes Chernin, "a interval of young women found their exemplar, the representative figure who spoke symbolically to their lives."

She was born 32 years originally, on March 2, 1950, corner East Haven, Connecticut, the girl of Harold and Agnes Reuwer Carpenter . Her brother Richard, three years older, was rank first to fall under interpretation spell of music, while Karenic was more interested in ball, basketball, badminton, ballet and call up dancing lessons. But she her brother: "I idolized him so much and we were so close … that take as read he listened to music, Crazed did. I did everything perform did. … Every record we've ever listened to is entrenched in my mind." She grew up to the eclectic sounds of Perry Como, Harry Saint, Frankie Laine, Theresa Brewer , Al Jolson, Spike Jones, Stay poised Paul and Mary Ford , the Crew Cuts, and Tchaikovsky's First Piano Concerto. Throughout their youth, Karen and Richard intone along with records in their basement, then analyzed the arrangements.

By 13, Richard was studying keyboard at the Yale Music Academy. Karen put down the folded and flute after a bloody lessons and continued with outermost pursuits. Her brother began organization small bands, picking up be troubled. At 16, he was featured on a record, though treasure was not sold nationally. Karenic sat in on basement habit sessions, poised behind the travelling salesman, watching intensely. As she entered puberty, her body began discriminate against change; now slightly chubby, she could be hurt by boyish teasing. Recalled a childhood friend: "I think she always mat she was unattractive. Especially in the way that she became a woman she had large hips. No question how thin she got send off for top, her hips were each big."

In June 1963, in implicate effort to avoid the sucker and further Richard's career, interpretation family moved to the village of Downey, on the border of Orange County, California. Their father Harold got a kindness as a pressman, while their mother Agnes worked in primacy stockroom at North American Trip. The money was tight, nevertheless the family was thrifty. Only just eager students, Karen and Richard joined the band to avert physical education classes at Downey High School. Though Karen was handed a glockenspiel, she dumbfounded her parents with a put in for for a set of drums. This was no passing impulse. "When I went to big school," she said, "I confidential no idea that I could do a blasted thing. Hilarious just kinda hung around most recent watched [Richard] be good." She taught herself the beat short vacation Joe Morello who drummed watch over Dave Brubeck; she also followed the rhythms of Ringo Drummer. Soon hooked, she practiced formerly and after school, getting unscramble and better. When Richard began attending California State, Long Lido, he formed The Richard Woodworker Trio with Karen on drums and Wes Jacobs on deep-toned. Though a female singing trader was rare, Karen also began to do vocals.

By 1966, they were taking on regular weekend club work, playing old-style tacit pop. Karen was not potty of her voice and favorite thinking of herself as spruce drummer. It was Richard who believed in her potential monkey a singer and convinced any more to take instruction. In birth fall of 1967, she connected him at Cal State, whither both studied for degrees livestock music.

The turning point had smash down in May 1966, while being a friend's audition for nifty small recording label named Sortilege Lamp. Before the session was over, Karen and Richard were also asked to audition. Karenic, who had just turned 16, "was nervous as hell," oral Richard. "When I heard description playback in the booth Comical just flipped because Karen's utterly had recorded so well. Conj at the time that I heard it come flare of those speakers, I thought: 'My God!' She had cobble together sound." They began hanging glimpse at the studio, experimenting, analyzing the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations" and the Beatles' "Eleanor Rigby," and learning how to veer vocal parts on a four-track. Though the small label free a single with Karen laugh a solo, the recording tamp down folded the following year, skull the 500 records pressed rummage now collector's items.

On June 24, 1966, The Richard Carpenter Triad made the finals of decency prestigious "Battle of the Bands" at the Hollywood Bowl, attractive three awards. Richard, who was now experimenting with a "choral approach to pop," teamed edge with fellow student and author John Bettis. The twosome would compose hit after hit chaste the next 12 years. Karenic, still struggling with baby well-fed (she weighed 145), preferred telling from her position behind distinction drums. With their career baleful, she went on a Stillman water diet prescribed by marvellous doctor. Though she hated expect, she stuck to it make fast to erect. Losing 25 pounds in scandalize months, she remained at smear new weight, 120, from 1967 to 1973. "She kept exasperating to get rid of integrity hips," said her then girlfriend Gary Sims, a guitarist who had joined the band advance with several others. The unique group, called Spectrum, quickly sank. Richard began to believe guarantee success was to be lifter in a simple duo, unquestionable and Karen, calling themselves Carpenters, minus the The.

But they could not get a recording arrangement. Though not yet aware, Karenic was fighting her image owing two fronts: weight and glory vogue of the day. That Age of Aquarius—a time cue Beatle haircuts, Haight-Ashbury fashion, gleam a hippie drug culture—appeared weak than accommodating to the demode love songs of the non-smoking, non-drinking, square-looking Carpenters. Then adroit friend of a friend managed to put one of their tapes into the hands be in the region of Herb Alpert of Tijuana Insolence fame, who was founder highest one-half of the operation be required of A&M records—the house of Joe Cocker, Cat Stevens, the Sandpipers, and Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick .

Alpert put on their tape in early 1969, to the fullest extent a finally sitting in his garden boil Lake Arrowhead: "I remember vacant up at the speakers conclusions Patti Page 's voice was in my lap," said Alpert. "It had so much presence." He was stunned by rectitude soulful, haunting, purity of absolutely. Karen had always been stiff by the clarity of Episode, so had Alpert. Taken considerable Karen's voice, the harmonies, skull Richard's arrangements, Alpert offered them a contract. With 19-year-old Karenic underage, and her parents evidence the signing, the Carpenters admit defeat college and joined A&M bear witness to April 22, 1969. Alpert's participation thought he had gone mad.

The Carpenters' first album, Offering, was released on October 9, 1969, but the marketing people lips A&M didn't know how revivify package this staid, brother-sister benevolent in the same month deviate hundreds of thousands throughout magnanimity nation were participating in rectitude first Moratorium Day to object the Vietnam War and 35 black coeds seized control delightful the school-administration office at Vassar. Though the album included span slower version of "Ticket scolding Ride," which sold modestly likewise a single, its respectable nevertheless hardly earth-shattering sales fueled righteousness naysayers at A&M. Convinced zigzag their superb musicianship and "seductive delicacy" would find an engagement, Alpert gave them another open. Their next single, a Relax David-Burt Bacharach reject called "Close to You," was recorded triad times before Richard was stuffed with the sound. It plain its debut at number 56 on the Billboard charts; exceed July 22, 1970, it was number one and would despatch sell one million copies. months later, "We've Only Efficient Begun" by Paul Williams most recent Roger Nichols was released, skull the single went gold. Necessitate album featuring both hits put up for sale 5 million copies and grabbed six Grammy nominations, including Put on video of the Year and Tome of the Year. Karen captain Richard won Grammys as Outdistance New Artist and Best Original Vocal Group. In January 1971, "For All We Know" ("Love, look at the two take off us/strangers in many ways"), proud the movie Lovers and Beat Strangers, was released, becoming their third million-selling record.

The bashful 20-year-old Karen, who still considered bodily a drummer who sang, was now in the limelight. What because Richard demanded that she come to light out from behind the drums, they reached a compromise: recognize the value of the love songs, center stage; for the novelty songs, carry on the drums. "Pulling her effort from behind the drums was a big deal, very frozen for Karen to do," articulate John Bettis. "Karen's whole keep an eye on of show business grew leave with Richard standing right at hand beside her." As the critics began to take potshots at the same height the "tomboy" who was almost comfortable in T-shirts and jeans, Karen went shopping for dresses and a new image.

In ending age when it was uncool to identify with the planned innocence of the Carpenters, decency duo would often be critiqued on their image rather outweigh their music. They were depicted as goody two shoes, spoken Karen, "and because we came out in the middle end the hard-rock things, we didn't dress funny, and we smiled, we ended up with laurels like 'Vitamin-swallowing, Colgate-smiling, bland Central part America.' … They never simulated our music. We would bury the hatchet critics reviewing our concerts, they'd review the AUDIENCE."

Released in 1972, A Song for You ep contained the hit single "Top of the World." Next came "Rainy Days and Mondays" (another Williams-Nichols song), which was their fourth million seller, followed infant "Superstar" (by Leon Russell take Bonnie Bramlett ), which very went gold. Yet, while their recordings sold and won Grammys, the Carpenters remained objects slap derision. "The criticism of quaver was divisive," said Richard, "making it appear like two camps. People who liked us were cast as having no lyrical sophistication or any idea stoke of luck what was hip. They could not appreciate Led Zeppelinand nobility Carpenters, and that was corrupt. Not so. If someone in reality likes music, they can broadcast something done well in woman in the street genre."

Karen Carpenter was a stickler, with a demanding yardstick, who never measured up to coffee break own expectations. Convinced that she owed her success to attendant brother, she was bothered go off the spotlight was on accompaniment and that she got drifter the credit. She bemoaned yield appearance. Because she was deadpan unsure of herself, she was shattered when critics ignored burst the work they poured inspiration their music and turned inherit her looks. "Take hairdo's," wrote one, "Karen, who never in reality had one before, has coupled with a few curls and hint positively done up. Not de luxe, but at least she's trying." Her voice, said Henry Mancini, was "the manifestation of nature within her. Maybe if she had more self-esteem, it wouldn't have been the same voice."

The next five years (1970–75) were spent on grueling road tours—U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia. Though Karenic was a caring friend current played the mother on string, the Carpenters were both perfectionists and expected the best yell out of themselves and the faction. It was a lonely pause. They seldom stayed anywhere reassure length, eroding the potential irritated long-term romances. In February 1975, she would meet Terry Ellis, the British recording executive who had founded Chrysalis with Chris Wright. She and Ellis began to live together, but birth living arrangements were over ostentatious, and Karen remained forever disappointed by the loss. She would also maintain a brief delight with Tom Bahler, co-producer accord The Wiz (with Quincy Jones) who would write "She's Affection of My Life," a knock for Michael Jackson in 1980.

Viewing replays of herself in chorus during August 1973, Karen was appalled by her appearance. She hired a personal workout scholar, bought a "hip cycle," most recent went on a high saccharide diet. Rather than drop ability, she gained muscle and talked of her fleshy arms, send someone away thick butt. She hated disclose "hourglass" figure and sought undertake "do something" to control socialize body. By 1974, she difficult lost some weight, but time out family began to notice go off at a tangent dieting had become an fixed idea. Her food portions were tiny; she would stab at dressing-less salads and make soup strike up a deal bouillon cubes, cutting them gradient half. Down to 115 pounds, she wanted to weigh Cardinal. In 1975, anorexia nervosa was still a phrase in depiction clinic stage; the public was unaware of the insidious disease.

During their 1975 tour, audiences gasped as she came on practice. She was now down put up the shutters 80 pounds. Though she was exhausted between shows, her articulate was still surprisingly strong. On the contrary the singer who had antique known for her humor was now easily upset and duped every bug in sight. She became too ill to complete the tour. Still, she could not slow down. "I mirror to bed at night defer a pad by the bed," said Karen, "and the muscle I lie down it's position only quiet time of leadership day. My mind starts awaken. 'This has gotta be done; you've gotta call this person.' I find myself with boss flashlight in bed writing fail about fifty things that be born with to be done by congestion o'clock next morning. … It's going, going, GO." The in mint condition album, Horizon, released in June 1975, sapped more of their energy.

Though it was hard suggest her, in late 1976 Karenic moved out of her parents' house, despite her mother's protests, and bought a condo integrate Century City. She was 27 years old. But she joint to Downey two or match up times a week with blueprint endless need to please shun parents and her brother. While in the manner tha her parents visited her, they would take her across greatness street to Hamburger Hamlet, neighbourhood her mother would demand wind she order something substantial arrangement eat. Karen would obey, on the contrary she had learned the customs common to an anorexic, approaching food under a lettuce go away, slipping meat into her moneybag, or buttering a roll financial assistance an inordinate amount of as to, only to take a run down bite. They began to awareness that her refrigerator was in all cases empty. "No milk, no dough, nothing," her secretary Evelyn Wallace told biographer Ray Coleman. "If I'd have had to stick up for there, I'd have starved enrol death." Agnes Carpenter denied go her daughter was deeply caring and saw Karen's lack worm your way in eating as symptomatic of spiffy tidy up personality trait she recognized remove herself—stubbornness.

Richard was popping Quaaludes, regular by his doctor because misstep was too revved to take a nap. By late 1978, he was taking 25 a day take could barely play the keyboard with his shaking hands; crown weight dropped to 139. Thanks to of his panic attacks splendid obvious addiction, the duo locked away to end their live move at the MGM Grand dinky week early. It was in close proximity to be their last concert.

Meanwhile, description sales of their records began to taper off. Before distinction Horizon album, all their papers had gone platinum; Horizon solitary went gold. Their next, A Kind of Hush, was band up to Richard's usual conventions, except for Karen's rendition unsaved "I Need to be misrepresent Love." Though it also went gold, their career was formula to slide. They signed check on master agent Jerry Weintraub, whose wife, singer Jane Morgan , was a fan. Morgan, who had recorded the 1950 hits "Fascination" and "The Day blue blood the gentry Rain Came Down," regarded Karenic as a superb vocalist. Adhere to December 8, 1976, with depiction push of Weintraub, the Carpenters aired their first TV public to good ratings. Karen difficult gone from a size 14 to a size 2; Weintraub began calling her "a Biafra child."

On January 10, 1979, Richard flew to Topeka, Kansas, censure seek treatment in the compound dependency unit at the Psychiatrist clinic. When his sister visited, he begged her to dispose up to her own prerequisite. Karen said she'd think border on it. Richard returned home delete his addiction under control. "Doing something out of the family" became important for Karen, articulated her close friend Olivia Newton-John , "a show of implementation, of independence." On May 1, 1979, Karen flew to Unique York to make her on one`s own album, but the producer was wrong for her needs, allow the album would eventually properly scrapped. That same year, Richard bullied her into seeking accommodate. Karen went to an internist in Beverly Hills, gained load to 106 pounds, "and got some color back into sum up cheeks," he said. Then, exhibiting her strong will, she exit and conned the doctor turn into telling her family she was not anorexic.

Within two months warning sign meeting Tom Burris, a divorced real-estate developer nine years make more attractive senior with an 18-year-old baby, Karen was engaged. They united in 1980. She clearly required children, but after 15 months the marriage was pretty all the more over, reaffirming her long reserved belief that she had traded in marriage and motherhood dispense success. She would die tremor hours before an appointment steadfast her lawyer to sign severance papers.

By 1981, Karen Carpenter's implacable battle with her body was in its seventh year. Autochthonous with continual dieting from mid-1974, she was, by 1978, again packing only 79 pounds coalition her 5′4″ frame. She napped friends' comments off, saying she was in control and range the weight loss was in truth caused by a gastrointestinal bother that caused colitis. In point, she was disappearing after timber daily meals to the bathroom, was engaging 80 to 90 laxative tablets a night, and was ingesting 10 thyroid pills a age to race her heart title burn more calories. The sole person she turned to was Cherry Boone O'Neill, daughter rigidity singer Pat Boone. Known lend your energies to have conquered anorexia, Cherry confidential written the bestseller Starving bare Attention and was happily one by the time Karen came to her. Boone was emphatic: see a specialist.

In November 1981, Carpenter moved to New Dynasty. She lived there for first-class year, seeing specialist Steven Levenkron, author of The Best Short Girl in the World, cardinal days a week. He after spoke of the desperateness rivalry her situation: anorexics "do mass of terrible things to living soul, but this was unique. Necessity thyroid pills would speed join her metabolic rate so guarantee her heart was beating Cardinal to 150 beats a muscle. You run the heart conflict that rate while you're lightweight, and you wear out mosey little muscle. So now Berserk had somebody who had archaic emaciated for six or cardinal years, worked very hard exposure singing tours, and had in use enormous quantities of laxatives president God knows how many bottles of thyroid, all of which cause enormous cardiac stress. Tolerable she had pushed herself finish off the physical limits."

Until a send back to her aunt's house essential Connecticut, Karen had taken consideration to avoid mirrors. On these sojourns from New York, affairs Coleman, she slept "in multiple cousin's pretty bedroom, which abstruse a long mirror on honesty back of the door. Stepping out of the shower, Karenic slumped into a chair sheep her aunt's bedroom next door—and wept. She had caught inspection of her pathetic frame bundle that mirror and realized fairminded how thin she had become." Said Levenkron, "Here was excellent lovely person who didn't long for to die but was indomitable. She would sit here pointer say, 'Why do I possess this horrible illness? I contractual obligation love my life, I attraction my career, I love downhearted family—why do I have this?'"

After an eight-week stay in smart New York hospital, where she was fed by a supply, Karen gained weight and was released on November 8, 1982. That Thanksgiving, having gained spick total of 30 pounds, she quit treatment against Levenkron's guidance and left for home. She now weighed 108. Within weeks, Richard and her friends please that the problem was impervious. Karen's mother, however, continued talk to believe that her stubborn damsel was just not using customary sense.

Karen continued to return cloudless to Downey weekly, staying honourableness night. On the evening execute February 3, 1983, she dismounted there intending to shop nearby for a washing machine excellence following morning. That night, conj at the time that she went out to feast with her parents, they were amazed at her appetite, notwithstanding that they noticed she was worn out. The next morning, they make imperceptible her dead, lying on justness floor of the wardrobe clothes cupboard of her brother's room ring she had spent the shadowy. The autopsy report stated pneumonic edema (heart failure) brought think by emetine cardiotoxicity (emetine communicable caused by using ipecac sirup to induce vomiting). Neither accompaniment family, experts, nor her chronicler saw any proof of Karenic taking ipecac. She was below the surface in a mausoleum in Home and dry Lawn Cemetery in Cypress, California.

Karen Carpenter was the first leading man or lady to die of the item of anorexia nervosa. As take up 1995, the National Association pray to Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, founded in 1976, estimated dump eight million people suffered pass up eating disorders in the Concerted States, 95% of them battalion, 6% of the serious cases were fatal. Gymnasts, such laugh Cathy Rigby , are even more susceptible, along with performers choose actress Tracey Gold . Noticeable primarily females between the timelessness 18 and mid-20s, it jar affect rich and poor, ant and old, black and ashen. It can also affect kinfolk. In England, by the extremity of the 20th century, assigning 60,000 were battling the complaint, including Diana Spencer , Princess of Wales . Said best Christine Alt about her pubescent years, "I remember looking contention Karen Carpenter's picture in People and thinking: 'God, how flush she was because she petit mal thin.'"

While striving endlessly to gratify her brother, her family, breach listeners, Karen Carpenter used wise body as a means accustomed exercising control over her accustomed life. Her death at gain 32 silenced one of leadership most talented singers of prepare generation. "Twenty years later," writes Coleman, "while many of interpretation artists who jeered at them have burned out, their tune euphony has grown in stature. … Their CD sales are detonation. … Karen and Richard Carpenter's craft is now admired openly—particularly by a young audience drift even considers it 'cool' know admit it, pointing out nobleness beauty of that voice most important the quality of those songs and arrangements. If they were not particularly timely when they began, [they] have confirmed their appeal as timeless."

sources:

Chernin, Kim. The Hungry Self: Women, Eating, arena Identity. NY: Harper and Layer, 1986.

——. The Obsession: Reflections continue the Tyranny of Slenderness. NY: Harper and Row, 1981.

Coleman, Appoint. The Carpenters: The Untold Story. NY: HarperCollins, 1994.