Karen Carpenter

AKA:

Lead Sister

Birth Name:

Karen Anne Carpenter

Birth Date:

March 2, 1950

Birth Place:

New Haven, Conneticut

Death Date:

February 4, 1983

Place of Death:

9828 Newville Street, Downey, California

Age:

Cause of Death:

Heart failure due to anorexia nervosa

Cemetery Name:

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park

Claim to Fame:

Music

Karen Carpenter was an American singer and drummer, who formed half of the sibling duo the Carpenters alongside her older brother Richard. With a distinctive three-octave contralto range, she was praised by her peers for her vocal skills and was named Rolling Stone's Top 100 Vocalists. Carpenter's struggle with and eventual death of heart failure related to her years-long struggle with anorexia would later raise awareness of eating disorders and body dysmorphia and their possible causes. On February 1, 1983, Carpenter saw her brother for the last time and discussed new plans for the Carpenters and for resumed touring. Three days later, on February 4, Carpenter was scheduled to sign final papers making her divorce official. Shortly after waking up on that day, she collapsed at her parents' home in Downey. Paramedics found her heart beating once every 10 seconds (6 bpm). Carpenter was pronounced dead at Downey Community Hospital at 9:51 a.m. The vocalist and drummer behind three number-one singles, five number-two singles on the Billboard Hot 100, 15 number-one hits on the Adult Contemporary chart and 12 top-10 singles was only 32 years old.

Fun Facts

Karen Carpenter confided to Olivia Newton-John that she longed for a happy marriage and family. She later dated several notable men, including Mike Curb, Tony Danza, Terry Ellis, Mark Harmon, Steve Martin, and Alan Osmond. After a whirlwind romance, she married real-estate developer Thomas James Burris on August 31, 1980, in the Crystal Room of The Beverly Hills Hotel. The marriage lasted 14 months.

When Karen collapsed at her parents Downey home, Agnes asked the paramedics to claim she was found in her closet getting dressed. She was actually found in the kitchen. Agnes wanted to avoid all the cruel jokes that would be made in the aftermath.

At a Beverly Hills restaurant John Lennon walked over to Karen Carpenter and said, “I want to tell you, love, that you’ve got a fabulous voice.”

Cemetery Information:

Final Resting Place:

Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park

5600 Lindero Canyon Road

Westlake Village, California, 91362

USA

North America

Map:

Map of Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California

Grave Location:

Carpenter Family Mausoleum

Grave Location Description

From the entrance drive straight ahead all the way to the end. Turn left when the road ends and drive 80 feet and park at the entrance to the 2nd path on the left. The Carpenter Family mausoleum can be found a short distance from the road just past the water feature.