Karen's friends also claimed he was abusive towards her. She was said to have desperately wanted children, but Burris had undergone a vasectomy and refused to get an operation to reverse it. She later dated the likes of Mike Curb, Tony Danza, Terry Ellis, Mark Harmon, Steve Martin and Alan Osmond.Īfter a quick romance, she married real-estate developer Thomas James Burris on August 31, 1980, in the Crystal Room of the Beverly Hills Hotel.īurris was divorced with an 18-year-old son, and was nine years older than her. Karen Carpenter once said: 'As long as we're on the road most of the time, I will never marry'. Was Karen Carpenter married and did she have children?.The coroner said that Carpenter's heart failure was caused by repeated use of ipecac syrup, an over-the-counter emetic used to induce vomiting. She had a blood sugar level of 1,110 milligrams per decilitre, more than ten times the average. Paramedics said her heart was beating once every 10 seconds, and she died at Downey Community Hospital at 9.51am.Īn autopsy ruled out drugs or a medication overdose, describing her death as 'emetine cardiotoxicity due to or as a consequence of anorexia nervosa'. On February 4, she collapsed in her bedroom at her parents' home. On February 1, 1983, Karen saw her brother for the last time, discussing plans for a new Carpenters album. She looked frail, but according to friend Dionne Warwick, she appeared outgoing, telling everyone: 'Look at me! I've got an ass!' On January 11, 1983, Karen made her final public appearance at a gathering of past Grammy Award winners. She managed to keep a stable weight for the rest of her life after this point.

The procedure was a success, and she started gaining weight, but this put a strain on her heart. In September 1982, she was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital in New York, where she was placed on an intravenous drip. Her condition continued to get worse, and she lost even more weight. In the 1980s, Karen also started using thyroid replacement medication, which increased her metabolism, and laxatives, which made food pass quickly. She chose to be treated in New York City by psychotherapist Steven Levenkron. She told Richard that she needed help with her anorexia. Richard later said he and his parents didn't know how to help her. She refused to publicly say she was in ill, and in 1981 she said she was just 'pooped'. Some fans had noticed and wrote to the pair to ask what may be wrong. Her eating habits saw her getting food off her plate by offering it to others.īy 1975, her weight was just 6 st 7 lb. She soon lost about 20 pounds (1 st 6 lb) and hoped to lose more. Karen fired the trainer, and began her own weight loss schedule by counting calories. She hired a personal trainer who told her to change her diet, which caused her to build muscle, making her seem heavier rather than slimmer. Later that year, she saw a photo of herself at a concert which made her appear 'heavy'. This reduced her weight to 120 pounds (8 st 8 lb) until 1973, when the Carpenters' career peaked. Under doctors' advice, she began the Stillman diet, eating just lean foods and drinking eight glasses of water a day, and avoiding fatty foods. Karen started dieting while still in high school.

Karen Carpenter's death: What happened?.

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They split up after she suggested her brother Richard join.Īfter forming the Richard Carpenter Trio with his college friend Wes Jacobs, A&M Records eventually signed them as the Carpenters in 1969. Her first band was Two Plus Two, an all-girl trio with friends from her high school. Karen was nervous about performing in public at first, but said she 'was too involved in the music to worry about it'.

Karen carpenters last photo