Eric Carmen, author of the hit All By Myself, died at 74

American singer and songwriter Eric Carmen died last weekend at age 74. The news was announced by Amy Carmen, his wife, in a press release published on the singer's official website. The cause of death has not been specified. Among his most famous titles, All By Myself, Hungry Eyes and Almost Paradise.

“Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep this weekend,” writes Amy Carmen. He was very happy to know that, for decades, his music touched so many people and will remain engraved in their memory. The late singer's wife took the opportunity to ask fans to "respect the family's privacy as we mourn our enormous loss."

Singer and composer, Eric Carmen became known in the early 1970s, when he became the leader of the American pop-rock group The Raspberries. Alongside him, Jim Bonfanti, Wally Bryson and Dave Smalley. After some success, the group, strongly inspired by the British scene, broke up in 1975. It reformed 24 years later, without Eric Carmen.

In the meantime, the singer had launched a solo career. The year the Raspberries broke up, he released his first album, entitled Eric Carmen. The public discovered the song All By Myself, an immediate success since, upon its release, it ranked second on the Billboard Hot 100 and twelfth on the UK Singles Chart. Twenty years later, the title experienced a resurgence in popularity and reached fourth place on the Billboard Hot 100, thanks to its cover by Canadian singer Céline Dion. His hits That’s Rock ’n Roll and Never Gonna Fall in Love Again were also covered, respectively by Shaun Cassidy and John Travolta.

Also read: I'll go where you go, If it was enough to love, All by myself… In the secret of Céline Dion's hits

Eric Carmen also produces soundtracks for successful films. In 1984, he co-wrote the title Almost Paradise, designed for the musical film Footlose, directed by Herbert Ross. The song is then performed as a duet by Mike Reno of Loverboy and Ann Wilson of Heart. The song - undoubtedly his biggest hit - earned him a Grammy nomination. Three years later, the singer repeated and composed for the film Dirty Dancing, with Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey. This time, he performs the single Hungry Eyes, which has more than 400 million plays on Spotify.