Eric Carmen, Hitmaker Behind ‘Hungry Eyes,’ ‘All by Myself’ & More, Dies at 74

Eric Carmen, the hitmaker behind ’70s and ’80s smashes like “All By Myself” and “Hungry Eyes,” has died at age 74, his wife Amy confirms.

“It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen,” a message posted to his website, Facebook and X account reads. “It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy. ‘Love Is All That Matters…Faithful and Forever,’” the message concludes, signed by Amy Carmen, his wife of eight years.

Over his decades-long career — starting in earnest during his college years at John Carroll University in his home state of Ohio, when he joined a band called Cyrus Erie — Carmen scored three top five hits on the Billboard Hot 100: the No. 2-peaking “All By Myself” in 1976, followed by the Dirty Dancing soundtrack standout “Hungry Eyes,” which peaked at No. 4 in 1988, and “Make Me Lose Control,” a No. 3 hit, also in 1988. His highest-charting album was his self-titled solo debut, which peaked at No. 21 in 1976.

In addition to scoring a hit on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack, Carmen also co-wrote “Almost Paradise… Love Theme from Footloose” (performed by Mike Reno and Ann Wilson) for the Footloose soundtrack, earning him his lone Grammy nomination for best album of original score written for a motion picture or a television special.

Before his blockbuster solo career, he recorded four albums with The Raspberries from 1972 to 1974. They scored a No. 5 hit from their debut album called “Go All the Way” in 1972 and a top 20 hit with the ironically titled “Overnight Sensation (Hit Record),” which peaked at No. 18 in 1974.

Many of Carmen’s songs have endured thanks to new placements in pop culture, including Celine Dion’s Hot 100 No. 4-peaking cover of “All By Myself” in 1997; “Go All the Way” being featured on the Guardians of Galaxy: Awesome Mix Vol. 1 soundtrack in 2014; and his co-written “Almost Paradise” serving as the theme song to The Bachelor spin-off Bachelor in Paradise in 2014.

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