Eric Carmen, ‘All By Myself’ and ‘Hungry Eyes’ Singer, Dead at 74

Singer-songwriter Eric Carmen, the former lead vocalist of The Raspberries and singer of hits like “All By Myself” and “Hungry Eyes,” has died. Carmen passed away over the weekend at the age of 74, his wife, Amy, announced in a statement shared to his official website. She did not disclose a a cause of death.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen. Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend. It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy,” the post read. Amy ended the post with a quote from Carmen’s song “Love Is All That Matters,” reading, “Love Is All That Matters… Faithful and Forever.”

Born in Cleveland, Ohio, per his bio, Carmen rose to fame as the frontman of the 1970s pop-rock band The Raspberries alongside Jim Bonfanti and Wally Bryson, recording four albums with the group from 1972 to 1974. During his time with the group, The Raspberries released hits like “Go All the Way,” “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record),” “Let’s Pretend,” and “I Wanna Be With You.” Reflecting on his time with the group, Carmen wrote that they “became immensely popular by going completely against the grain in 1970. Prog-rock was ‘in,’ and FM radio clutched it to its bosom. I hated it. I loved the Beatles, The Who, the Byrds, the Stones, the Beach Boys and the Small Faces. I loved bands that could WRITE!”

After the band broke up in 1975, Carmen embarked on a solo career, releasing hits including “All by Myself,” which later became one of Celine Dion’s most iconic hits when she covered it and was also featured in the opening scene of Bridget Jones’s Diary, as well as To Die For, Clueless, and Almost Famous, per USA Today. His song “Hungry Eyes,” meanwhile, appeared in Dirty Dancing. His other hits include “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again,” “She Did It,” and “Make Me Lose Control.”

Carmen also had a bustling career as a songwriter for other artists, penning the track “Almost Paradise,” which was recorded by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson and appeared in Footloose. Carmen earned a Grammy nomination for the song in the Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture category. The song also served as the theme song to The Bachelor spin-off Bachelor in Paradise in 2014, according to Billboard. He also wrote “Never Gonna Fall In Love Again “and “Make Me Lose Control.”