Eric Carmen, the star of the worldwide hit “All by Myself”, has died.

American singer Eric Carmen, lead singer of the 1975 global hit “All by Myself,” has died at the age of 74, his wife, Amy Carmen, announced Tuesday.

“Our sweet, loving, talented Eric passed away in his sleep this weekend. I was so happy to know that, for decades, his music has influenced so many people and will remain etched in their memories,” she wrote in a message posted on the artist’s official website.

Amy Carmen also asked fans to “respect the family’s privacy as we mourn our tremendous loss.”

The cause of death was not specified.

Born in 1949 in Cleveland, Ohio, Eric Carmen began his musical career by co-founding the rock group “The Raspberries” in the 1970s, which disbanded five years later.

The band’s first album included a label that smelled like raspberries when scratched.

The group reunited in 2004. A concert from that tour was recorded and released as an album in 2017, “Raspberries Pop Art Live.”

In addition to the success of “All by Myself”, Carmen had another moment of glory with “Hungry Eyes”, part of the soundtrack to the popular film “Dirty Dancing” (1987), starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

His song “Almost Paradise,” which he co-wrote for the film “Footloose,” earned him a Grammy Award nomination.

Their hits have been covered by artists as diverse as Céline Dion (“All By Myself”), Shaun Cassidy (“That’s Rock ‘n Roll”) and John Travolta (“Never Gonna Fall in Love Again”).

Source: AFP