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Born: March 2, 1950
Birthplace: New Haven, Connecticut
Died: February 4, 1983
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Karen Carpenter
As the Carpenters, Karen Carpenter and her brother Richard were one of the most successful music groups of the '70s. Karen's battle with anorexia nervosa began at age 17 and continued throughout her life. Friends say she felt pressure to live up to her own expectations, as well as those of her record label, her fans and her brother. As things got worse, Carpenter was hospitalized twice for her extreme thinness, and her heart slowly weakened from years of dieting. At age 32, she died of heart failure.
What You Don't Know:
• When she was 18, Carpenter was being driven past the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles at the exact moment Robert Kennedy was shot.
• Singer-actress Olivia Newton-John was Carpenter's best friend.
• The Carpenters were greatly influenced by the Beatles. The first song the duo recorded for their debut album was a cover version of the Beatles' "Ticket to Ride."
• "Close to You" was the Carpenters' first top ten hit.
• Carpenter dated Alan Osmond for two years in the '70s.
• When Carpenter recorded "Rainy Days and Mondays," she placed a few pillows on the studio floor, made herself comfortable and sang into the mike lying down to get into the mood of the song.
• Filmmaker Todd Haynes' film-school project Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, which told the siblings' story using Barbie dolls, was blocked from release by Richard Carpenter, although it has been widely bootlegged.
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Related Links
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The Soup: Best of the week's A-list antics; new ep, 10p
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E! True Hollywood Story now available on satellite radio.
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