Richard Carpenter Reflects On Sister Karen's Legacy And Their Musical Journey Karen Carpenter dropped down to 77lbs in anorexia battle which led her

Richard Carpenter Reflects On Sister Karen's Legacy And Their Musical Journey

Karen Carpenter dropped down to 77lbs in anorexia battle which led her

At the 25th annual Grammy Awards, Richard and Karen Carpenter stood shoulder to shoulder with music legends like Dionne Warwick, Glen Campbell, and Gladys Knight for a group portrait. The brother-sister duo, who sold over 30 million records, beamed with pride as they joined these iconic musicians. Little did they know, this photo would become a poignant reminder of Karen’s fleeting life. Just 24 days after the photo was taken, Karen tragically passed away from heart failure due to years of battling eating disorders. Today, Richard, now 74, keeps a cherished copy of that photo on a table in his Los Angeles living room, a constant reminder of the sister he lost too soon.

“Karen was silenced far too early,” Richard confides to Closer. “She would have been 71 now, and I’m certain she’d be absolutely incredible. We would have had countless recordings under our belt, and we’d still be creating more. That’s what I miss most.”

A New Perspective on the Carpenters' Legacy

While it's impossible not to mourn the untimely loss of Karen at the young age of 32, a new book titled Carpenters: The Musical Legacy, co-authored by Mike Cidoni Lennox and Chris May with Richard Carpenter, aims to shift the focus back to their music. Richard generously granted the authors access to never-before-seen private photos, tour schedules, and memorabilia from the era when the Carpenters were at the peak of their fame.

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  • Richard hopes this book will not only celebrate their music but also clear up some of the myths and misconceptions surrounding Karen’s struggles with anorexia, his own battles with addiction, and the immense pressure that came with their rapid rise to fame. “We were an overnight sensation,” he recalls. “Hits kept coming one after another, and we were headlining in Vegas just over a year after our first big hit. Everything happened so fast.”

    The Early Days: An Overnight Sensation

    When Karen was just 19 and Richard was 23, they signed with A&M Records in 1969. Their debut album didn’t make much of a splash, but their second album featured the single “(They Long to Be) Close to You.” This track, previously recorded by Dionne Warwick, Dusty Springfield, and actor Richard Chamberlain, found new life with Richard’s innovative arrangement and Karen’s soulful voice, propelling it to the top of the charts.

    “It remains my proudest achievement,” Richard reflects. The Carpenters quickly became a household name, but the demands on the two siblings from the suburbs of Los Angeles were relentless. “If you look at those schedules, especially the one-nighters, we didn’t need to do them,” Richard admits. “We didn’t have a manager to shield us from the chaos.”

    The Heartbreaking Album Cover

    The siblings weren’t fond of the album cover art for Close to You, but they were pressured into accepting it. “It was a wild time,” Richard explains. “They showed up with this heart-shaped album cover. We told them, ‘We hate it.’ They replied, ‘Learn to love it.’ We never learned to love it.”

    As their fame soared, so did the pressures. Karen’s obsession with dieting, which began in 1967, intensified. Despite her frail appearance, she always delivered extraordinary performances. “Whenever Karen faced challenges, she threw herself into her work,” author Chris May explains. “Richard said she loved working more than he did.”

    Richard Carpenter Reveals Sister Karen's Anorexia Struggle Had Her Lying 'Down Between Shows'
    Alan Messer/Shutterstock

    A Sister’s Struggle and a Brother’s Addiction

    By 1975, Karen weighed a mere 91 pounds. “It was so severe that she had to rest between performances,” Richard remembers. “Still, she sang with the same beauty and grace as always.” Meanwhile, Richard became addicted to Quaaludes, which he initially used to help him sleep. As his dependency grew, he stopped eating, and at one point, the 6-foot-tall musician weighed only 140 pounds. “I lost the will to do much of anything,” he admits.

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  • In 1979, Richard sought treatment and successfully overcame his addiction. Karen also pursued therapy for her anorexia, but Richard feels the medical community failed her. In 1982, a renowned psychotherapist treated her with little success. Later, she was hospitalized at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, where a feeding tube accidentally punctured one of her lungs.

    She was released in time for Thanksgiving but tragically passed away three months later. While Richard can never forget the heartbreak of losing his sister, he encourages fans to celebrate the Carpenters’ enduring musical legacy. “We were just two kids from the suburbs,” he says. “I believed in Karen’s voice, my arranging skills, and the unique sound we created together.”

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