It’s hard to believe that 28 years have passed since her angelic voice was silenced by anorexia, or that at that time the illness was one that few people had heard of. Karen Carpenter fought a courageous, but ultimately unsuccessful battle with anorexia. She was only 32. Her death provided a front-page view into the painful and dangerous world of eating disorders. It also allowed others with eating disorders, including Princess Di and Tracey Gold, to go public with their own struggles.
Karen and Richard Carpenter were one of the most successful singing duos in music history. The Carpenters had 23 hit singles including We've Only Just Begun, Close to You, and For All We Know. They sold over 80 million albums. But as the beautiful musician sang Top of the World, it was evident that she was not.
The Early Years
Karen Anne Carpenter was born in New Haven Connecticut on March 2, 1950. As a girl, she was athletic, a tomboy. The family moved to Downey, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, when Karen was 13, in order to provide more opportunities for her brother Richard, a gifted pianist. Karen’s musical talents leaned more toward percussion, and she joined the school band, playing the glockenspiel. The band director was reluctant to allow Karen to join the drum line, which was virtually unheard of for a female. She persisted, and the drums became her passion. Karen was a perfectionist who practiced drumming several hours a day.
Karen was a “chubby” child and teen. In an interview with People magazine following Karen’s death, Richard described her love of food — tacos and chili. A petite, 5’4”, Karen was at the higher end of normal range at 145 lbs. At 16, Karen signed with an independent record label. Shortly thereafter, at 17, Karen went on her first diet, losing 25 lbs.
Despite her early success and record contract, Karen lacked confidence in herself as a musician. She saw Richard as the musical prodigy and herself as the “tagalong.” According to those close to her, this view was reinforced by Karen’s family.
Musical Success and Struggles with Anorexia
Karen and Richard signed with a bigger label, Herb Alpert’s A&M records in 1969. A&M encouraged the duo’s creativity. Karen served as the band’s drummer, as well as its lead singer. Their 1970 release, Close to You, featured two big hits, the title track and We’ve Only Just Begun.
The label eventually persuaded Karen to come out from behind her drum set, and take center stage, an awesome feat for someone who saw her drum set as a security blanket. She expressed fears of not being good enough, slim enough, or pretty enough. Karen had limited control over what she would sing or how the band ran, leaving those decisions to her brother and the record label. People close to Karen describe her as a people-pleaser, a sensitive young woman who worked hard to keep others happy. These factors triggered her descent into unhealthy dieting, and ultimately anorexia.
As Karen’s condition worsened, worried fans looked on. In the People Magazine interview, Richard said, “Although her voice was never affected, you could hear gasps from the audience when she came onstage, and there was considerable mail from fans asking what was wrong. Eventually, though, my parents and I realized that there was nothing we could do except state what was on our minds. We never knew how to help her.” The family hoped that Karen’s quest for weight loss would reverse itself.
Karen went through a period of many years in the mid 70s in which the disease was active. Although people tried to intervene, the cycle of losing, and continuing to lose continued. Karen was medically hospitalized several times. The doctors’ advice —just eat — did not help.
Seeking Help
Karen became concerned about her weight loss and began to embrace the idea that she had anorexia. She reached out to Pat Boone's daughter, Cherry Boone O'Neill, who had authored a book about her own struggles with anorexia, Starving for Attention.
"She didn't sound panicked, but she felt that she really needed some help," Cherry says. "Karen was having particular problems with laxatives. She could not believe she could ever get to a point where she was not dependent on them." O'Neill, who herself had often taken laxatives by the box to "drop 10 or 15 pounds overnight," urged her friend to "get away from the pressures of L.A. and show business and concentrate on her own life and survival." Karen told Cherry: "I'm going to do it. I'll get well—it's just so damn hard."
Karen moved to New York to work with Steve Levenkron, author of The Best Little Girl in the World, and one of the first psychotherapists to treat anorexia. Her family wasn’t in favor of the treatment, not recognizing the psychological aspects of the disease, which was not unusual in the 1980s. Karen and Steve worked intensively in therapy for about 6 months.
Despite Karen’s best efforts, her weight continued to decline, and she was again hospitalized in 1982 after dropping to 80 lbs. The hospitalization focused only on re-feeding — the process of allowing her to gain weight. Karen was put on a hyperalimentation regimen. She was discharged from the hospital two months later at a healthier weight of 110. It is likely that the re-feeding put stress on a body and heart already weakened by years of self-starvation, and ipecac, laxative and thyroid pill abuse.
Hope Lost
With Karen’s increased weight came a renewed sense of optimism. Karen returned to Los Angeles where she and Richard began recording Voice of the Heart, their 12th album.
Karen collapsed at 9:00 AM on the morning of February 4, 1983, the result of a cardiac arrest. Autopsy results revealed that the heart failure was due to ipecac poisoning. Ipecac is an emetic used to induce vomiting in cases of overdose or ingestion of something toxic. When used improperly, such as a form of purging, ipecac use can lead to severe dehydration and low blood pressure. An overdose can be fatal.
Karen's death was mourned by fans all over the world and by those who still love her music. Her passing reminds us of the seriousness of eating disorders. They are not vain efforts to loser weight, but are significant problems that can be life-threatening. With proper intervention, however, recovery is possible. For help, hope, referrals and resources - contact the National Eating Disorders Assocation - www.NationalEatingDisorders.org or 206-931-2237
For a slide show of Karen Carpenter pictures, click here.
Philadelphia eating disorders programs:
Belmont Center
Brandywine Center
Renfrew Center
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