Karen Carpenter enjoyed testing the limits of her beloved 1979 Jaguar XJS. “She loved to drive up the highway being chased by fans,” biographer Lucy O’Brien shares with Closer.
As one half of the Carpenters, Karen’s honeyed voice and wholesome image made her a superstar in the 1970s. Despite the greatness of the music she left behind, her premature death at age 32 from the complications of anorexia would always color her story with sadness and unfulfilled promise. A new biography seeks to change the tenor of her tragedy. “She’s been presented as a fragile person and a victim,” says O’Brien, author of Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter. “But I got a sense of a woman who was very driven, pioneering and quite stubborn. She was not a shrinking violet.”
Karen grew up very close to her brother, Richard, who was slightly more than three years older. Like two sides of the same coin, they shared similar opinions on nearly everything. “We were almost like male-female clones. The smiles were identical, and we liked and disliked the same things — not just music: comedians, movies, just about everything,” revealed Richard in 2021’s Carpenters: The Musical Legacy.
This story is from the December 18, 2023 edition of Closer US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 18, 2023 edition of Closer US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
I Owe Everything TO GOD
THE JEFFERSONS AND 227 ACTRESS IS GOING STRONG AT 92 YEARS YOUNG
HER RULES to Live By
THE SiLVERSSCREEN LEGEND BELIEVED IN WORKING HARD AND LIVING LARGE
Murder, She Wrote SECRETS FROM THE SET
FRIENDS AND CO-STARS SHARE BEHIND-THE-SCENES STORIES FROM THE BELOVED SERIES
We're All CONNECTED
The Touched by an Angel alum shares her thoughts on marriage, aging, faith and her new TV series, The Baxters
Amazing UNTOLD STORY
FRIENDS AND FAMILY SHARE MEMORIES OF THE ACTOR AND DANCER NEARLY 15 YEARS AFTER HIS UNTIMELY PASSING
MOTHER'S DAY Memories
OUR FAVORITE TELEVISION MOMS SHARE THEIR FAMILY CELEBRATIONS AND THOUGHTS ON MOTHERHOOD
5 WAYS TO STOP SUGAR CRAVINGS
FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE STEPS TO KEEP TEMPTATION UNDER WRAPS
Memories of My Grandfather, LARRY FINE
THE THREE STOOGES COMEDIAN WAS A COMMITTED FAMILY MAN WHO DOTED ON HIS LOVED ONES
CHRISTOPHER ATKINS - I'm Still a DREAMER
The Dallas and Blue Lagoon star shares his life today with Closer
KATE & KING CHARLES - STAYING STRONG& Carrying On
BATTLING CANCER AT THE SAME TIME HAS DEEPENED THE AFFECTION AND RESPECT BETWEEN THEM