Description

Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer who formed half of the highly successful duo Carpenters with her older brother Richard. With a distinctive three-octave contralto range, she was praised by her peers for her vocal skills. Carpenter's work continues to attract praise, including appearing on Rolling Stone's 2010 list of the 100 greatest singers of all time. In 1975, Carpenter started exhibiting symptoms of anorexia nervosa due to the severe pressures of fame and her complicated family dynamics. She was never able to recover and died at the age of 32 in 1983 from complications of the disease, which was little-known outside celebrity circles at the time; Carpenter's death sparked worldwide attention and research into eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Interest in her life and death has spawned numerous documentaries and films.