'Hungry Eyes,' 'All By Myself' Singer Eric Carmen Dies At 74

LOS ANGELES, CA — The Raspberries frontman and singer of hits "Hungry Eyes" and "All By Myself" Eric Carmen passed away over the weekend at age 74.

Carmen's wife, Amy, announced his death on his website.

"Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend. It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy," the statement read.

Carmen had 13 songs in the Billboard Hot 100, including three in the Top 10. The Raspberries, which formed in Cleveland, had four Top 40 singles, including the Top 5 hit “Go All the Way.”

News of his death inspired an outpouring from other artists inspired by Carmen.

"Although known to many for writing radio hits like 'All By Myself' and others, Eric was a true rocker at heart," said Paul Stanley of Kiss said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. "His voice had elements of McCartney and Steve Marriott. The Raspberries did shows with us. A killer band live & I loved their records."

Steven Van Zandt, of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, wrote, “Damn. Another friend gone. RIP Eric Carmen. The Raspberries set a production standard we’re still trying to reach. Deepest love and condolences to Amy and the family.”

Born in Cleveland, Carmen was surrounded by a vibrant rock scene that featured many of the same musicians playing in many different bands together. It was this atmosphere that helped the Raspberries come together in 1970.

“Almost every band had hair down to their waist and beards and ripped jeans and they looked like a bunch of hippies, and I wanted to get as far away from that as I could,” Carmen told the Observer in 2017.

The Raspberries’ second album, “Fresh,” released in 1972, would be their highest charting, hitting No. 36 and featuring two Top 40 hits, “I Wanna Be With You” and “Let’s Pretend.”

The Raspberries ended their first run in 1975, two years after creative differences hastened the departures of drummer Jim Bonfanti and bassist Dave Smalley.

Carmen then launched a solo career and his self-titled debut included the soaring hit “All By Myself,” which sold more than 1 million copies in the U.S. and reached No. 2 in 1976. His other hits included “Make Me Lose Control” — a No. 3 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. He also co-wrote the "Footloose" soundtrack hit “Almost Paradise,” sung by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson, which peaked at No. 7 in 1984.

Carmen's albums include 1977’s self-produced and autobiographical “Boats Against the Current,” 1978’s “Change of Heart” and 1980’s “Tonight You’re Mine.” His songs “Nowhere to Hide” and “Desperate Fools” are soft rock classics.

In 1987, he had another massive hit when his recording of “Hungry Eyes” was featured on 1987’s “Dirty Dancing” soundtrack, reaching the Top 5 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and propelling the album to sales of over 32 million copies.

A newer generation, discovered his work in 2000 when Carmen toured with Ringo Starr’s All Starr Band. A few years later, he reunited with the Rasperries for a sold-out across the United States.

MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer contributed to this story.