Today is the 72nd birthday of the singer Karen Carpenter. The Carpenters were the easy listening AM radio soundtrack to the 1970s. Her voice was spectacular. I have included videos of The Carpenter’s Greatest Hits, a tribute CD called “If I Were a Carpenter” (the Sonic Youth version of “Superstar” is absolutely haunting), and the campy cult classic Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story which tells her story entirely with Barbie Dolls. The director got sued by Mattel and her brother, so watch it before it gets pulled for copyright infringement (or email me and I’ll send you an .mp4). The world is a better place because she was in it and still feels the loss that she has left.
NAME: Karen Carpenter
OCCUPATION: Singer
BIRTH DATE: March 2, 1950
DEATH DATE: February 4, 1983
PLACE OF BIRTH: New Haven, Connecticut
PLACE OF DEATH: Downey, California
CAUSE OF DEATH: Anorexia
REMAINS: Buried, Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, Westlake Village, CA
HOLLYWOOD WALK OF FAME posthumous Oct-1983
Father: Harold Carpenter (d. 1988)
Mother: Agnes Carpenter (d. 1996)
Brother: Richard Carpenter (b. 15-Oct-1946)
Husband: Thomas James Burris (m. 30-Aug-1980, div. 1982)
Boyfriend: Alan Osmond
Boyfriend: Terry Ellis (1975)
Boyfriend: John Adrian
BEST KNOWN FOR: Karen Carpenter, half of the 1970s pop duo the Carpenters, sang such hits as “(They Long to Be) Close to You” and “We’ve Only Just Begun.”
Born on March 2, 1950, in New Haven, Connecticut, Karen Carpenter was one-half of the hit 70s pop duo, the Carpenters, with her brother Richard. The Carpenter family moved to Downey, California, in 1963, and it was there that Karen began to explore an interest in music. She took up an instrument in high school as a way of dodging gym class. As she told People magazine, “I couldn’t stand track at 8 a.m. or a cold pool, so they put me in the band and gave me a glockenspiel.”
Carpenter later switched to another form of percussion, playing the drums in a trio with her brother. They went on to win a battle of the bands at the Hollywood Bowl in 1966. Karen and Richard Carpenter later became a duo, eventually landing a record deal with A&M.
Karen and her brother put on their first album, Offering (later renamed Ticket to Ride), in 1969. While this album failed to take off, they hit it big with their next release, 1970’s Close to You. By this time, Karen dropped the drums to focus on singing. “(They Long to Be) Close to You,” written by Burt Bacharach, became the duo’s first chart-topping single. The song also earned them a Grammy win for best contemporary vocal performance by a duo, group or chorus. The album also featured another now classic Carpenters hit, “We’ve Only Just Begun.” The Carpenters picked up the Grammy for best new artist in 1970, and they continued to reach the charts with such songs as “Rainy Days and Mondays,” “Superstar” and “Hurting Each Other.”
Sometimes maligned by critics for being too sentimental and square, the Carpenters won over a substantial fan base with their soft rock sound and their carefully crafted pop songs. Karen’s lovely vocals were an essential part of the duo’s appeal. Their squeaky clean persona won over such famous fans as President Richard M. Nixon who had them play at the White House in 1973. That same year, they scored such hits as “Sing” and “Top of the World.” Unfortunately, the extensive touring and other pressures began to weigh on Karen Carpenter.
By 1975, Carpenter had lost a substantial amount of weight and was experiencing extreme exhaustion. (It was later revealed that she had an eating disorder known as anorexia nervosa.) She ended up in the hospital for a time, and she was in such bad shape that she had to cancel the Carpenters’ European tour. Carpenter spent weeks recovering at her parents’ home, but she would battle her eating disorder for the rest of her life.
Karen and Richard Carpenter continued with their music, scoring hits with such songs as 1976’s “I Need To Be In Love.” But by the end of the decade, they were no longer dominating the pop charts. Still Karen’s personal life seemed to be improving around this time. She married real estate developer Thomas Burris in 1980. Sadly, this union soon fell apart as Carpenter struggled with her illness and her husband wrestled with business woes.
The Carpenters last made their last appearance on Billboard’s Top 40 in 1981 with “Touch Me When We’re Dancing,” which was also a number-one hit on the adult contemporary chart. Karen Carpenter finally sought treatment for her eating disorder around this time. She moved to New York where she spent nearly a year getting care. Carpenter returned to California seemingly in better health.
On the morning of February 4, 1983, Karen Carpenter collapsed at her family’s home in Downey, California. She was taken to a local hospital, but the medical staff was unable to revive her. Carpenter died of heart failure, likely brought on by her longtime battle with anorexia. She was only 32 years old.
The music world mourned her passing. Songwriter Burt Bacharach told People magazine that “She was a magical person with a magical voice.” Carpenter’s only solo effort, a self-titled record, was released years after her passing in 1996.
FILMOGRAPHY AS ACTOR
Paul Williams Still Alive (11-Sep-2011) · Herself
waldina 
Karen I have looked at a lot of her photo’s even as a young child a teenager a woman in her 20’s and early 30’s I have seen me in her in a lot of them. We were born 2 months apart, My father was told to take a job in Conn. in the early sixties and did not at Pratt and Whitney which latter moved to Downy Cal. for the space program my father made parts for space crafts her aunt Mrs. Tyrell had the same name as neighbors in Mass. The Tyrell family in which they always welcomed me in their life took me out everywhere treated me very nice,( religious people too) Her first release hit of close to you was released on May 15th 1970 My birthday is May 16th she wanted to be close to me
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