Karen Carpenter
| Karen Carpenter | |
|---|---|
Karen Carpenter, early 1970s
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Karen Anne Carpenter |
| Born |
March 2, 1950 New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Origin | Downey, California, U.S. |
| Died | February 4, 1983 (aged 32) Downey Community Hospital, Downey, California |
| Genres | Pop, easy listening, soft rock, jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer |
| Instruments | Vocals, drums |
| Years active | 1965–1983 |
| Labels | A&M |
| Associated acts | The Carpenters, Richard Carpenter |
| Website | richardandkarencarpenter |
| Notable instruments | |
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Ludwig Drums Zildjian cymbals Remo drumheads |
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Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother Richard Carpenter formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. Her skills as a drummer earned admiration from drumming luminaries and peers, but she is best known for her vocal performances. She typically sang in a contralto vocal range.
Carpenter suffered from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder that was little known at the time. She died at age 32 from heart failure caused by complications related to her illness. Carpenter's death led to increased visibility and awareness of eating disorders.
Karen Anne Carpenter was born in New Haven, Connecticut, the daughter of Agnes Reuwer (née Tatum) (March 5, 1915 – November 10, 1996) and Harold Bertram Carpenter (November 8, 1908 – October 15, 1988). Harold had been born in China where his parents were missionaries and was educated at boarding schools in England, before working in the printing business.
When she was young, she enjoyed playing baseball with other children on the street. On the TV program This Is Your Life, she stated that she liked pitching and later, in the early 1970s, she would become the pitcher on the Carpenters' official softball team. Her brother Richard developed an interest in music at an early age, becoming a piano prodigy. Karen enjoyed dancing and by age 4 was enrolled in tap dancing and ballet classes. The family moved in June 1963 to the Los Angeles suburb of Downey.
When Carpenter entered Downey High School, she joined the school band. Bruce Gifford, the conductor (who had previously taught her older brother) gave her the glockenspiel, an instrument she disliked and after admiring the performance of her friend, Frankie Chavez (who idolized famous jazz drummer Buddy Rich), she asked if she could play the drums instead. She and her brother made their first recordings in 1965 and 1966. The following year she began dieting. Under a doctor's guidance, she went on the Stillman Diet. She rigorously ate lean foods, drank eight glasses of water a day, and avoided fatty foods. She was 5' 4" (163 cm) in height and before dieting weighed 145 pounds (66 kg; 10 st 5 lb) and afterwards weighed 120 pounds (54 kg; 8 st 8 lb) until 1973, when the Carpenters' career reached its peak. By September 1975, her weight was 91 pounds (41 kg; 6 st 7 lb).
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