Karen Carpenter

Karen and Richard later formed another band, Spectrum, with fellow students from California State University at Long Beach, but it disbanded after a few gigs. In 1969, they signed with A&M Records after shopping demo tapes around. Their first hit was a reworking of The Beatles' "Ticket to Ride," followed by a re-recorded version of Burt Bacharach's "Close to You," which sold a million copies. As the Carpenters, they became one of the most successful groups of the early 1970s, with Karen on drums and lead vocals. They won three Grammy Awards, embarked on a world tour, and landed their own TV variety series in 1971, titled Make Your Own Kind of Music!

In 1975, the Carpenters canceled a European tour because Karen was too weak to perform, though the cause wasn't public. She was suffering from anorexia nervosa, a mental illness that would ultimately prove fatal. In 1976, she moved into her own condo. While Richard recovered from a Quaalude addiction, Karen recorded a solo album in New York City in 1979 with producer Phil Ramone. The album was shelved after a lukewarm response from her brother and the record company.

Karen married real estate developer Thomas J. Burris in 1980, but the marriage lasted only a year before they separated. She was set to sign divorce papers the day she died. She and Richard reunited for the hit single "Touch Me When We're Dancing," but Karen struggled with depression and her eating disorder. She spent most of 1982 in New York undergoing treatment. By early 1983, she was planning a comeback. On February 4, 1983, she collapsed in a closet at her parents' house from cardiac arrest, caused by the strain of anorexia on her heart. She was 32.