He married meteorologist Amy Murphy in 2016, and lived with her until his death.
His was a very big story to tell in a single article.
Here, we share some of what else we learned about Eric Carmen.
Eric Carmen in 1980 in Osaka, Japan.Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images
The success of Go All the Way created a major rift between Carmen and Raspberries guitarist Wally Bryson.
We started out on that first album as a songwriting team, Bryson says.
And then his uncle, who was a lawyer, would copyright all of our songs.
But I worked with Eric on the intro to Go All the Way.
They told me that they couldnt copyright an intro, so my name wouldnt be on it.
I never wrote with him again after that.
But Wally plays it like Wally plays it, which is a different vibe.
There were other issues in the Raspberries.
There was always this pull and tug in the band, says Fred Carmen.
And when [bassist] Dave Smally was in the band, Dave wrote sort of Eagle-ish country stuff.
Wally wrote a little more rocky stuff.
That did cause some friction in the day.
Carmen and Bryson had beef, but Carmen raved about the guitarist.
They were a classic love-hate story, says Fred Carmen.
They were both better together than they ever were apart.
And yet being together was very frustrating for them because Wally wanted a bigger role.
They just always butted heads.
They finally came to a truce of sorts during the reunion period in the 2000s.
‘Related ContentEric Carmen Was a Power-Pop Legend.
Carmens 1980 solo LPTonight Youre Minehas a very unfortunate cover.
Then I posed for some photos.
We werent actually in that pose together.
His comeback hit Hungry Eyes came together quite randomly.
Carmens career was on life support when former Raspberries producer Jimmy Ienner called him.
Instead of just passing, why dont we see what it is he wants you to do?
Ask him to send you a rough copy of the movie.
They sent us a rough copy ofDirty Dancingwithout any music.
We watched it and we said, Its certainly not embarrassing.’
Eric agreed to record the song on the condition he could cut it in a Cleveland studio.
It was a very pleasant surprise.
TheDirty Dancingtour was a nightmare.
They hit 90 cities in just three months.
It was really rough on Eric.
Hes such a perfectionist, and he couldnt control so many aspects of that tour.
It turned out to be the hottest summer in 50 years, Eric Carmen told Hogya and Sharp.
People were dropping like flies.
They actually had medics with oxygen backstage in case performers didnt make it through the show.
His 1988 hit Make Me Lose Control originally had a different title.
After Hungry Eyes exploded, an Eric CarmenGreatest Hitspackage quickly came together.
Clive doesnt like it, says Hogya.
Clive thinks its too old-fashioned.
He wants something more contemporary because he doesnt want him stuck in theDirty Dancingera.
The song shot to Number 3 on the Hot 100, one slot above the peak of Hungry Eyes.
Just last year, it appeared in the action filmDeadpool & Wolverine.
All of Carmens momentum didnt lead to a new album.
Were going to pick the hits for you, and its going to be great.
And so of course thats pretty disheartening when you think youre a songwriter primarily.
Carmen released an under-the-radar song in 1991 written by Diane Warren.
Carmen briefly attempted to appease Davis, recording Diane Warrens My Heart Stops in 1991.
Arista just tested it, says Hogya.
Eric wasnt enthusiastic, and Clive wasnt enthusiastic.
They just dropped it, and nothing came out.
There was a final album in 1998, but few know it exists.
In 1998, Carmen made one last attempt at an album when recordedWinder Dreamsfor a Japanese record label.
In 2000, the album was released in America with the new titleI Was Born to Love You.
Only the most devoted Eric Carmen fans even knew it existed.
The Raspberries reunion had many false starts.
Jim and Dave came first, says Spero.
And I looked out the window and saw both Eric and Wally driving in circles around our street.
Neither of them wanted to be the second-to-last guy to come in.
I called Eric on the phone and went, Get your ass in here.
Are you 12-years-old?'
But it didnt take long for Carmen and Bryson to start arguing.
But I managed to get them to agree to a deal for the tour.
Wally calls me the next day and he says, I want one more point.
I want a point of Erics so that Im getting more than the other two guys.
I said, You cant nickel and dime this, Wally.
Theres a lot of money out there for everybody.
The eventual Raspberries reunion in 2004 came after intense rehearsals.
Carmen insisted on three months of full-time rehearsals.
Literally, we took every song apart and put it back together, says drummer Bonfanti.
It was just an incredible night.
Ill never forget how I felt.
