Karen Carpenter Lost Battle With Anorexia After Years of Struggle

Born on March 2, 1950 the daughter of Harold (a printer) and Agnes (a homemaker) had no idea about the life that was ahead of her. At the age of 17, as her musical career with her brother Richard was beginning, her extreme dieting would begin.

At the age of 17 she was 141 lbs. and 54. She went to a physician and got put on the Stillman water diet (8 glasses of water a day, no fatty foods, and plenty of vitamins). She did not like diets, but she stuck with it and lost 25 lbs. in six months. She stayed at this weight until 1973.

She started to show a disinterest in food in 1974. She was purchasing sugar-free jelly and stocking the cabinets with low-calorie and low-fat foods. When going to the recording studios she would get many compliments on how good she looked and compliments on her weight loss. At the time she was 115lbs. but now had a goal to weigh 105lbs.

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Her weight was dropping more and more by 1975. She was too tired and worn out to perform on tour in Japan and Europe weighing only 80lbs. (Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives) Her best friend Debbie Vaiuso came to visit her and she was quoted saying her skin was literally hanging off her bones. Her brother Richard was in Tokyo and London rescheduling their tours while she went to Cedars of Sinai Hospital to get treatment for Anorexia. They are just going to make sure I put some weight on she told Gary Sims one of her visitors that were alarmed. When she got out of recovery she weighed 104 lbs.

While getting fitted for clothing for a concert in 1976 she was concerned about the size of her hips. Her brother Richard was quoted saying Can we do something to hide those hips. Richard explained he was taken the wrong way. He was mentioning her hips because her pelvic bones were showing not because they were big.

In 1977 she had a mini-stroke while going to Morsound equipment and rehearsal warehouse in North Hollywood. The seriousness of it is not known because Richard and one employee of the warehouse were the only ones there. Richard thought she went to see a doctor but not positive. She said that one side of her face went numb.

She was back to weighing about 80 lbs. in 1978. Phil Ramone was producing her solo album and at the time she was staying with him and his wife. (People Weekly vol.49 pg.38) His wife found laxatives around the housed and asked her about them. She said they were just incase she would need them not to worry. Ramone told her to go get help or he would not produce any more albums for her. So, she went to an internist in Beverly Hills. After her rehabilitation she weighed 106 lbs. Soon, she began to get worried with her weight again and was back to her old ways.

On August 31, 1980, she married Thomas T. Burris (real estate developer). (Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives) She thought the marriage would be therapy and help her win the battle with Anorexia.

On November 9, 1981, she went to dinner with her parents and Tom (husband). After dinner they went home and not long after Tom told her parents you can keep her.

Not long after that she told her brother Richard I realize I am sick and I need help. (www.leadsister.com) She soon went to New York City and began therapy with Dr. Steven Levenkron. (Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives) At this time she was taking 80-90 Dulcolax laxatives a day. Plus, she started taking a thyroid medicine three months before this. The thyroid medicine would speed up her metabolism and burn more calories. Dr. Levenkron described her as 77 lbs. of dehydrated skeleton. (www.leadsister.com)

In April of 1982 she flew home for her two-week break from treatment and recorded the last song her and Richard recorded together. In the beginning of September she was admitted into the Lenox Hill Hospital. She was not only dehydrated but had life-threatening low potassium levels. She was being fed through hyperalimentation, food going directly into the bloodstream. She underwent a dramatic weight gain of 30 lbs. in eight weeks. This may have been a major factor in her heart failure because, when weight is put back on, it puts a major strain on the heart.

One year after said she was cured and she moved back to California. In January or 1983 she said she would sometimes see spots in front of her eyes and would complaining about her thumping heart. Three months later, while staying the night at her parents house, she was found passed out on the bedroom floor by her mom after she heard a noise upstairs. It was February 4,1983. She was taken to the hospital, but she could not be revived. She died because of heart failure related to Anorexia Nervosa.

Her last public appearance was at the 25th Annual Grammy Awards. She told Diane Warwick Ive got a lot of living to do. But the fact was, she did not have much living left to do at all. The day of her death she had an appointment to sign final divorce papers that never were signed.

Karen Carpenter was a popular vocalist and drummer in the 70s. She was best known for her work with her brother Richard in their soft rock duo group the Carpenters.

Karen was laid to rest in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Cypress California on February 8, 1983. She will always be remembered and loved by millions of fans that were and still are moved and inspired by her.

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