Karen Carpenter

The name Karen Carpenter conjours up many things. Whilst the smooth easy-listening style of their music might not be in fashion today, in the early 1970's The Carpenters were one of the biggest acts on the planet.

Karen Carpenter was born on 2 March 1950 and, at the age of 14, started playing the drums in the local school band. By the time she was 16 Karen was playing with The Richard Carpenter Trio - a drummer who happend to sing occasionally....

The Carpenters were signed in 1969 and the following years saw Karen's focus shift to fronting the act. A string of classic hits followed and The Carpenters became one of the biggest acts of the age.

Karen continued to play the drums and played a number of Vistalites - including clear, jellybean and a blue/white vertical bar kits...

Along with the fame came illness; Karen's anorexia nervosa hampered her ability to work and eventually took her life.

On 4 February 1983 Karen Carpenter died of heart failure. After years of struggle against the eating disorder, her body simply gave up life.

You can find out more about the life and work of Karen Carpenter at leadsister.com.