Karen Carpenter

Karen Carpenter

Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983) was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo Carpenters, commonly called The Carpenters. She had a contralto vocal range, and her skills as a drummer earned admiration from her peers, although she is best known for her vocal performances of romantic ballads.

Karen suffered from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder of extreme weight loss dieting, which was little known at the time. She died at age 32 from heart failure caused by complications related to her illness, which caused her to mistakenly believe that she needed to lose weight. Karen's death led to increased visibility and awareness of eating disorders.