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November 21, 1983, Vol. 20, No. 21

A Brother RemembersBy Richard Carpenter

An Account of Karen Carpenters Brave Battle Over the Years Against Anorexia

Nervosa

ine months ago singer Karen Carpenter fell victim to heart failure after an

eight!ear battle "ith anore#ia nervosa. $he seeme% to be on the verge of

recover! "hen she %ie% at the age of 32. &fter spen%ing almost all of 1982

un%ergoing treatment for the eating %isor%er, the '()*+ Carpenter ha% manage% to

pump her "eight from a frail 80 poun%s to a nearl! normal 110.

N&lthough he ha% been "itness to her long

struggle, ichar%, her mentor an% solesibling, "as stunne% b! Karen(s su%%en

%eath. $hortl! before, the t"o singers ha%

been at "or- on Voice of the eart, their

12th album.

/etermine% not to let their final proect

sin- into limbo, ichar% returne% to the

recor%ing stu%io last arch. he months

long tas- of a%%ing trac-s to her

complete% vocals prove% poignant4ecor%ing(s so sophisticate% these %a!s

that it soun%e% as if she "ere right there,+

ichar% sa!s. 5n 6ctober, as Voice of the

eart "as being release% 7an% he

%eparte% on a promotional trip to apan

an% &ustralia, Carpenter, 3:, sat "ith

Correspon%ent $u;anne &%elson in the sunn! living room of his suburban /o"ne!,

Calif. home an% tal-e% for the first time about Karen

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om an% /a% an% 5 sat in the "aiting room >at /o"ne! Communit! ospital? after

Karen "as ta-en into emergenc!. &fter about )' minutes "e "ere tol% she "as gone.

! imme%iate reaction "as anger=anger at the "aste of her life an% the loss of her

talent. hen the grief set in....

he shoc- "as tremen%ous=5 -ne" she "as ill, but not that ill. @ut the more 5 loo-bac- on her life, the more 5 can see the in%ications.

Karen ha% been a little over"eight as a teenager=she love% tacos an% chili. @ut "e

never tease% her=to us, she "asn(t that fat. Ahen she "as 1:, she "ent on the

$tillman /iet "ith a %octor(s gui%ance, an% she lost bet"een 20 an% 2' poun%s. $he

"as at her best "eight=bet"een 11' an% 120=until 19:', "hen the illness first

became serious.

hat !ear "e ha% to cancel a Buropean an% apanese tour because her "eight "as "a!

%o"n. $he "as tiring easil!=she "as e#hauste%. Ae(% gone from recor%ing our

ori;on album straight on the roa% for the summer tour, then on to as Vegas, "here"e %i% t"o sho"s a night. Dinall! she "ent into the hospital for five %a!s of be% rest

an% then spent almost t"o months in be% at our parents(.

5t "as right aroun% that time that "e hear% about anore#ia. 5 %on(t recall ho" "e

learne% about it=mainl! "e all ust encourage% her to eat more. om coo-e% goo%

health! meals. Karen "as never into binge eating=she merel! pic-e% at her foo%.

Eeople are al"a!s tr!ing to fin% a lin- bet"een Karen(s illness an% a single

heartbrea-, but 5 %on(t associate it "ith an!thing. 5t %efinitel! "asn(t relate% to a

tragic romance, as has been implie%. >@efore her brief marriage to om @urris? she

%i% have a romance "ith err! Bllis >an e#ecutive "ith Chr!salis ecor%s?, "hich%i%n(t "or- out, but the! remaine% frien%s.

Ahen her anore#ia appeare%, things "ere going "ell in our careers an% she "as

apparentl! happ!. $till, she %i%n(t eat enough for the sche%ule "e "ere -eeping=she

live% on sala%s, ma!be %r! toast for brea-fast. Drom earl! 19:' on 5 trie% ever!

metho% 5 -ne" to get her to eat. 5 "oul% scol% her, an% she "oul% sa! 5 "as getting

upset over nothing. here "ere times 5 %i% lose m! temper, but it "as al"a!s out of

love.

Karen "as al"a!s "orrie% about the "a! she loo-e%, so 5 trie% to appeal to that. 5 tol%

her she "as too thin an% that people "ere noticing it. &n% that she "oul%n(t be able tocontinue our sche%ule if she %i%n(t get more fuel. &lthough her voice "as never

affecte%, !ou coul% hear gasps from the au%ience "hen she came onstage, an% there

"as consi%erable mail from fans as-ing "hat "as "rong. Bventuall!, though, m!

parents an% 5 reali;e% that there "as nothing "e coul% %o e#cept state "hat "as on our

min%s. Ae never -ne" ho" to help her.

5n late 1981 she reache% the stage "here she came to me an% sai%, 4ichar%, 5 reali;e

5(m sic- an% 5 nee% help.+ 5t "as then that she %eci%e% to go to Ne" For-...someone

=5 %on(t -no" "ho=ha% recommen%e% this treatment to her, an% it seeme% the onl!

"a!. $he(% never been in therap! before nor felt the nee%=none of us "ere greatbelievers in it.

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$he ma%e the tre- to Ne" For-, "hich "as Guite a move, leaving ever!thing behin%

an% living alone for months at the egenc! otel "hile she "as in therap!. $he "oul%

call home freGuentl! an% tal- of being homesic-, but she "as %etermine% to stic- it

out.

5 have to be honest=5(m bitter about the treatment she receive%.

Ahile a therapist is "or-ing "ith an anore#ic, it ta-es months, if not !ears, to

overcome the illness. &n% %uring the therap!, the person is literall! starving herself.

hat %oes a lot of %amage to the bo%!.

Karen ha% been in therap! for nine months or so, an% the therapist "as getting

no"here. $he "asn(t putting an! "eight on=if an!thing, she "as losing. 5 "as

e#tremel! upset about that. Dinall! Karen "as put into eno# ill ospital >chec-ing

in un%er an assume% name? for forcefee%ing to put some "eight on her.

Ae all "ent to see her in the hospital. $he ha% been %o"n to 80 poun%s, an% she "as

about 110 "hen she came home to .&. for han-sgiving 1982, "hen "e ha% tur-e!

an% all the trimmings. $he "as %efinitel! improve%, but there "ere signs that she

"asn(t 100 percent turne% aroun%=she "as pic-ing at foo%, an% there "ere certain

rituals in eating. 5n a restaurant, there "ere certain things she "oul%n(t or%er an% other

things=li-e eggs an% potatoes=that she left untouche%.

o have sta!e% in a hospital for seven "ee-s, then come home an% ta-e it eas!=that

"asn(t for Karen. &fter she "as release% from the hospital, she "as running aroun%,

sociali;ing, shopping. $he seeme% bent on "al-ing as much as she coul%. >er

therapist reports that she bought at least 30 pairs of ogging shoes in Ne" For-.?

6bviousl! that "asn(t goo% for her.

here never "as a point "here she acte% li-e she "as sic-. $he "as her bubbl!,

energetic self right to the en%, an% she ate "ell in her last "ee-s. Dor the 2'th

anniversar! of the Hramm!s >the month before her %eath? "e sho"e% up at C@$

elevision Cit! for alumni pictures. &fter"ar% 5 too- her to $t. Hermain >an elegant

.&. restaurant? for %inner. $he ha% an appeti;er, Drench brea%, "ine, the entree an%

ever!thing that came "ith it. 5 -ne" she ha% gotten an urge for tacos earlier an% that

she "as eating chili again=one of her favorites.

5 %on(t -no" that "e(ll ever -no" ever!thing about Karen(s illness, but 5 thin- all

those !ears of starvation too- their toll=she put "eight on too fast in those "ee-s inthe hospital, an% it put an un%ue strain on her heart. 5(ve been tol% b! %octors that

getting that man! calories shot into !our s!stem in a comparativel! short perio% of

time %oes that.

5 %i% a lot of soulsearching after her %eath, an% 5 reali;e no" that 5 %i% as much as 5

coul% have %one. &ll of us "ho love% her %i%. @ut 5 still can(t believe she(s gone. Ae

spent so much time together.... here(s a voi% there no". 5 miss her more an% more

each %a!.

here(s a natural insulation at first=a barrier that comes up for a time=but !ou never

get over a loss li-e this. Fou simpl! have to %eal "ith it. &n% 5(m %oing the best 5 can.

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