Eric Carmen (August 11, 1949 – March 10, 2024) was an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and power-pop icon. Born in Cleveland, Ohio, to a family of Russian Jewish immigrants, he grew up in Lyndhurst and showed early musical talent. Enrolled at the Cleveland Institute of Music as a toddler, he studied piano and violin, began writing songs by age 12, and was profoundly influenced by the Beatles.In the early 1970s, Carmen fronted the influential band Raspberries, delivering energetic hits like "Go All the Way" (1972, a million-seller) and "I Wanna Be with You," blending catchy melodies with rock edge before the group's 1975 breakup.Launching a solo career, he achieved massive success with dramatic ballads, most notably the 1975 smash "All by Myself" (No. 2 U.S.), inspired by Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2. Other hits included "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," "She Did It," and 1980s favorites like "Hungry Eyes" (from Dirty Dancing) and "Make Me Lose Control."Carmen continued performing sporadically into later years before passing away peacefully at 74 in Paradise Valley, Arizona. His emotive voice and timeless songs left a lasting mark on pop and rock music
