AncientFaces Your browser does not support JavaScript!
Please enable JavaScript to view the entire contents of this page.

Karen Carpenter 1950 - 1983

Karen Carpenter was born on March 2, 1950 in New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut United States to Agnes Reuwer and Harold Bertram Carpenter, and had a brother Richard Carpenter. Karen Carpenter died at age 32 years old on February 4, 1983 in Downey, Los Angeles County, CA, and was buried on February 7, 1983 at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, in Westlake Village.

Karen Carpenter

March 2, 1950

New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut, United States

February 4, 1983

Downey, Los Angeles County, California, United States

Female

Looking for another Karen Carpenter?

Karen Carpenter Karen Carpenter (1950 - 1983)

ADVERTISEMENT BY ANCESTRY.COM

This page exists for YOU
and everyone who remembers Karen.

Share what you know,
even ask what you wish you knew.

Invite others to do the same,
but don't worry if you can't...

Someone, somewhere will find this page,
and we'll notify you when they do.

Karen Carpenter's History: 1950 - 1983

Uncover new discoveries and connections today by sharing about people & moments from yesterday.

- Discover how AncientFaces works.

Introduction

Karen Carpenter Biography Born March 2, 1950 in New Haven, Connecticut, USA Died February 4, 1983 in Downey, California, USA (heart failure caused by chronic anorexia) Birth Name Karen Anne Carpenter Nickname K.C. Height 5' 4" (1.63 m) Mini Bio (1) Born in New Haven, Connecticut, Karen Carpenter moved with her family to Downey, California, in 1963. Karen's older brother, Richard Carpenter, decided to put together an instrumental trio with him on the piano, Karen on the drums and their friend Wes Jacobs on the bass and tuba. In a battle of the bands at the Hollywood Bowl in 1966, the group won first place and landed a contract with RCA Records. However, RCA did not see a future in jazz tuba, and the contract was short-lived. Karen and Richard formed another band, Spectrum, with four other fellow students from California State University at Long Beach that played several gigs before disbanding. In 1969, Karen and Richard made several demo music tapes and shopped them around to different record companies; they were eventually offered a contract with A&M Records. Their first hit was a reworking of The Beatles hit "Ticket to Ride", followed by a re-recorded version of Burt Bacharach's "Close to You", which sold a million copies. Soon Richard and Karen became one of the most successful groups of the early 1970s, with Karen on the drums and lead vocals and Richard on the piano with backup vocals. They won three Grammy Awards, embarked on a world tour, and landed their own TV variety series in 1971, titled Make Your Own Kind of Music! (1971). In 1975 the story came out when The Carpenters were forced to cancel a European tour because the gaunt Karen was too weak to perform. Nobody knew that Karen was at the time suffering from anorexia nervosa, a mental illness characterized by obsessive dieting to a point of starvation. In 1976 she moved out of her parents' house to a condo of her own. While her brother Richard was recovering from his Quaalude addiction, Karen decided to record a solo album in New York City in 1979 with producer Phil Ramone. Encouraged by the positive reaction to it in New York, Karen was eager to show it to Richard and the record company in California, who were nonplussed. The album was shelved. In 1980, she married real estate developer Thomas J. Burris. However, the unhappy marriage really only lasted a year before they separated. (Karen was to sign the divorce papers the day she died). Shortly afterward, she and brother Richard were back in the recording studio, where they recorded their hit single "Touch Me When We're Dancing". However, Karen was unable to shake her depression as well as her eating disorder, and after realizing she needed help, she spent most of 1982 in New York City undergoing treatment. By 1983, Karen was starting to take control of her life and planning to return to the recording studio and to make public appearances again. In February of 1983, she went to her parents' house to sort through some old clothes she kept there when she collapsed in a walk-in closet from cardiac arrest. She was only 32. Doctors revealed that her long battle with anorexia nervosa had stressed her heart to the breaking point. - IMDb Mini Biography By: Matt Patay Spouse (1) Thomas James Burris (31 August 1980 - 4 February 1983) ( her death) Trade Mark (2) Contralto singing vocals Shoulder length brown hair. Trivia (101) In her mid 20s, she was still living with her parents. At age 30, she made a solo album with producer Phil Ramone in 1980, titled "Karen Carpenter". However, it was shelved by A&M executive Herb Alpert. 16 years later in 1996, it was finally released. Was married at the Beverly Hills Hotel in the Crystal Room. On Thursday, December 11, 2003 she, Agnes and Harold were exhumed from Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California and were moved to Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California. Agnes, Karen and Harold remained in their original caskets. At 12:30pm PST, they were all re-interred and entombed in a private family mausoleum in the Tranquility Gardens section of the cemetery. Ranked #29 on VH1's 100 Greatest Women of Rock N Roll Sang "Bless the Beasts and the Children" with her brother Richard Carpenter at The 44th Annual Academy Awards (1972). Started out singing in two unsuccessful singing bands called "The Dick Carpenter Trio" and "Spectrum". "A Star on Earth - A Star in Heaven" is written in her mausoleum. Among her friends were Petula Clark, Olivia Newton-John and Dionne Warwick. While being treated for anorexia, she embroidered a sign above her hospital bed that read "You win, I gain!". Attended and graduated from Downey High School in Downey, California. Dedicated her solo album to her brother Richard Carpenter. As of April 2004, her brother Richard Carpenter has made four new Carpenters albums since her death. This is possible by using songs that were left off previous albums and making new albums out of them. He also uses songs that Karen recorded and then later arranges music to accompany them. She did not like the song "Superstar" until after hearing her brother's arrangement for it; she then considered it one of her favorites that the Carpenters had done. The song "Now", recorded in April 1982, was the last song she ever recorded. The Carpenters franchise is very big and popular in Japan. In 1976, she bought a Century City condominium. she gutted two separate apartments and turned it into one. The address was 2222 Avenue of the Stars. As a housewarming-gift, her mother Agnes Carpenter gave her a collection of leather-bound classic works of literature. Collected Disney memorabilia. Songwriter Paul Williams wrote "Rainy Days and Mondays" for her. Ranked #30 on "E!'s 101 Most Shocking Moments In Entertainment History". Her funeral took place on February 8, 1983 at the United Methodist Church in Downey, California. Parents are Harold Carpenter and Agnes Carpenter. Performed and sang for Richard Nixon at the White House in 1972. Attended and graduated from California State University, Long Beach. Was close to her brother Richard Carpenter. Songwriter Peter Cetera wrote "Making Love in the Afternoon" for her. Her favorite Carpenters song was "I Need to Be In Love". Won the 1966 "Battle of the Bands" contest at the Hollywood Bowl. Loved to play softball/baseball and played the drums. Won three Grammy Awards. Had to have surgery on her ear, during the late 1970s, for impaired hearing. Went to Bora Bora for her honeymoon. Her cover version of "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was originally recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1964, shortly before Dionne Warwick recorded it that same year. Dusty's was scheduled for release as a single, and potential follow-up to her No. 3 hit "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself". However, it was not until three years later, in 1967, that it finally was released on her album "Where Am I Going?", with the beginning intro cut from its release. During her solo endeavor, many of the demos Karen recorded were scrapped and decided not to be used for the album. Despite the rumor that only 11 tracks were completed and/or used, one more is indeed finished. It is a mellowed-out and heartfelt cover of Evie Sands's 1975 #50 Pop charter, "I Love Makin' Love to You". When A&M Records folded in 2000, it and 6 of out of the 8 demos began surfacing on the Internet. Fans who have heard Karen's version of "Makin' Love..." feel it is probably the best song to come out of her solo sessions. Sadly, it is unlikely it will ever official see the light of day, for many believe A&M discarded of the material when it closed its doors. Another song almost completed (even with backing vocals, but lacking orchestration) is a cover of Vicki Sue Robinson's "Don't Try to Win Me Back Again". Has four nieces and one nephew: Richard Carpenter's five children. After her recovery, she planned to go public about her battle with anorexia. Her ex-husband Tom Burris was a real-estate developer. At the time they met, Tom was a 39-year-old divorce with an 18-year-old son. Karen was 30 years old. Sang "Because We Are In Love" at her 1980 wedding. The song was written by her brother Richard Carpenter and friend John Bettis. The rock band, Sonic Youth, wrote a song about Karen, called "Tunic (Song for Karen)". They also contributed to a 1994 tribute album for The Carpenters. Had her own personalized driver's license plate which was: KAC3. She was portrayed by a Barbie Doll in Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1988) When she was 17, she went on the "Stillman Diet" with a doctor's guidance, and lost between 20 and 25 pounds In 1998, the RIAA certified that "The Singles 1969 - 1973" had sold 7 million units since its release in 1973. This makes "The Singles 1969 - 1973" the Carpenters' bestselling album ever (as of 2005). The Carpenters' second bestselling album is "Carpenters (the tan album)" - it has sold four million units since its release in 1971. In 1975, "Please Mr. Postman" became the Carpenters' 10th and last certified Gold single. In 1970, "(They Long to Be) Close to You" became the Carpenters' first certified Gold single. She befriended Cherry Boone while getting treated for Anorexia. Boone herself was a recovered anorectic. The Carpenters are still A&M Records' biggest and bestselling artists. Her childhood home was 55 Hall Street (in New Haven, Connecticut). She attended school at Nathan Hale Elementary School in Connecticut. Her family started the "Karen A. Carpenter Memorial Foundation", which raised money for research on anorexia nervosa and eating disorders. Today, the title has been changed to "Carpenter Family Foundation"... in addition to eating disorders, the foundation now funds the arts, entertainment and education.
03/2

1950

Birthday

March 2, 1950

Birthdate

New Haven, New Haven County, Connecticut United States

Birthplace

ADVERTISEMENT BY
Professional Career

Singer, Drummer. Best remembered for her singing partnership with her brother, Richard, as "The Carpenters." Born in New Haven, Connecticut, she moved with her family to Downey, California in 1963. Her older brother, Richard, put together an instrumental trio, with Richard playing the piano, Karen on the drums, and friend Wes Jacobs on the bass and tuba. In 1966, their group won first place in the Hollywood Bowl Battle of the Bands, and landed a recording contract with RCA Records. After two albums, which were never released, Karen and Richard formed another band, and in 1970, they made several demo tapes which landed them a contract with A&M Records (founded by Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss). Their first real hit was a reworked version of the Beatles hit "Ticket to Ride," followed by a reworked version of Burt Bacharach's "Close to You," which soon sold a million copies. They became one of the most successful groups in the early 1970s, won three Grammy Awards, and starred in their own TV variety series, "Make Your Own Kind of Music." Karen however, suffered from a relatively unknown illness, Anorexia Nervosa, which is characterized by obsessive dieting to the point of starvation. Her illness surfaced in 1975, when they were forced to cancel a European tour, when she was too weak to perform. Although she received treatment for the disease, she never fully recovered, and it was discovered later that the disease had returned. In the 1980s, she and her brother were back making records, but in 1982 she collapsed after a recording, and spent most of the year undergoing treatment. Although her marriage fell apart, she appeared as if she was beginning to take control of her life again, and on February 4, 1983, she went to her parents' house to sort through some of her old clothes. She collapsed there from cardiac arrest, and was pronounced dead by responding doctors. Doctors later revealed that her long battle with Anorexia Nervosa had stressed her heart to the failure point. Originally interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Cypress, California, the remains of Karen and her parents were moved to a new location, the Carpenter family mausoleum at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California around 2003. Bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson Inscription "A Star On Earth - A Star In Heaven" Family Members Parents Harold Bertram Carpenter 1908–1988 Agnes Reuwer Tatum Carpenter 1915–1996
02/4

1983

Death

February 4, 1983

Death date

Unknown
Cause of death

Downey, Los Angeles County, California United States
Death location

ADVERTISEMENT BY
02/7

1983

Gravesite & Burial

February 7, 1983

Funeral date
Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park, in Westlake Village, Los Angeles County, California 91362, United States
Burial location
Obituary

KAREN CARPENTER, 32, IS DEAD; SINGER TEAMED WITH BROTHER Feb. 5, 1983 The pop singer Karen Carpenter, who with her brother Richard sold more than 30 million records as the Carpenters, died Friday of cardiac arrest at Downey Community Hospital in Downey, Calif. The 32-year-old singer was found unconscious by her mother, Agnes Carpenter, at her parents' home in Downey, a suburb of Los Angeles, and was taken to the hospital. The Carpenters were a major pop team for the first part of the 1970's, with 17 million-selling albums. Miss Carpenter's contralto was heard on such soft-rock singles as ''We've Only Just Begun,'' ''Rainy Days and Mondays,'' and a remake of ''Please Mr. Postman.'' Their version of Burt Bacharach's ''Close to You'' won two Grammy awards in 1970, and their album ''The Carpenters'' won a third Grammy in 1971. That same year, their version of ''For All We Know'' won the Academy Award for best song. Karen Carpenter was born in New Haven, Conn., on March 2, 1950. She and her older brother, Richard, started a pop-jazz trio with a friend in California in 1965, with Richard on keyboards and Karen on drums. The group won a battle of the bands at the Hollywood Bowl and was signed by RCA Records, but the two albums they recorded for the label were never released; they were considered ''too soft.'' The trio subsequently disbanded. Incorporated Vocals In their next group, the Carpenters began to incorporate vocals. Eventually they developed a smooth, densely layered sound built around Miss Carpenter's voice and Richard Carpenter's arrangements, and were signed to A&M Records in 1970. On the first Carpenters recordings, Karen Carpenter played drums, but she eventually gave that up to concentrate on vocals. Through 1975, two or three singles by the Carpenters regularly placed in the pop Top 10 each year, and in 1974 they performed at the Nixon White House. The Carpenters canceled an extensive European tour in 1975 because Miss Carpenter was suffering from nervous and physical exhaustion; she was bedridden for six weeks. They continued to record through the 1970's, but were less successful commercially. Their last album, ''Made in America,'' was recorded in 1981, and met with only moderate success. According to Paul Bloch, a spokesman for the Carpenters, the brother and sister were planning to tour and record a new album this year. In 1980 Miss Carpenter married a real-estate developer, Thomas J. Burris of Newport Beach, Calif. Mr. Bloch said the couple were getting a divorce. He also said Miss Carpenter had suffered from anorexia during 1981 and 1982, but had recovered. ''She looked great,'' Mr. Bloch said. ''She was anxious to record her new album, and she was in good spirits.'' In addition to her mother and brother, Miss Carpenter is survived by her father, Harold, also of Downey.

ADVERTISEMENT BY
Looking for more information?
share

Memories

below

Join 4 others
who remember Karen

Select options below to share special moments.

Ethnicity & Family History Nationality & Locations Early Life & Education Baptism Religious Beliefs Military Service Personal Life & Family Add Memory Add Photo

Share what you remember.
Ask what you wish to know.
Connect to discover more.
Advertisement
Did you know?

Karen Carpenter lived 40 years shorter than the average family member when died at the age of 32.

ADVERTISEMENT BY
Looking for more information?
share

Memories

below

16 Memories, Stories & Photos about Karen

Amanda S. Stevenson

17.7k+ favorites

08/23/2017

Karen Anne Carpenter

A photo of Karen Anne Carpenter

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

Comments

Ian Oliver Martin

3.72k+ favorites

06/30/2024

Karen Carpenter

[external link]

Date & Place: Not specified or unknown.

Comments

Randal Bridges

42 favorites

05/18/2024

Karen Carpenter

Karen Carpenter @1980/'81

Date & Place: circa 1980

Comments

Amanda S. Stevenson

17.7k+ favorites

01/02/2023

Andrew Belling comment on Facebook, New Year's Day 2023.

Andrew Belling
I was in the small choir that accompanied them during one of their Christmas/New Year runs in Vegas. Karen was absolutely lovely - and great to work for.

Comments