Karen Carpenter

Karen Carpenter was the lead singer for the soft-rock duo The Carpenters, who scored a string of Top 10 hits in the early '70s, including "(They Long to Be) Close to You," "We've Only Just Begun," "Rainy Days and Mondays," and "Yesterday Once More." Carpenter recorded one solo album in the late '70s, yet it was unreleased at the time. Following the recording of the record, she returned to The Carpenters, and they had one final Top 40 hit -- "Touch Me When We're Dancing" -- in 1981 before she tragically died of heart failure, brought on by anorexia nervosa, in February of 1983. Her unreleased solo album, titled Karen Carpenter, was finally released in the fall of 1996. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide