Obituary: Eric Carmen, musician

American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist Eric Carmen, former member of The Raspberries, performs at Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom on November 10, 1975 in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo: Getty Images

Power ballad king Eric Carmen penned All By Myself, regarded by many as the saddest song of all time, but his range was broader than the tear-jerker. The Cleveland native was one of the generation inspired by The Beatles to pick up a guitar and his band, The Raspberries, were fine purveyors of power pop and enjoyed moderate success, releasing four major label albums. Carmen then went solo and soon struck it big with All By Myself, which sold more than 1 million copies in the US and reached No 2 in 1976. Other top 10 hits included Make Me Lose Control, Almost Paradise and Hungry Eyes, which helped the Dirty Dancing film soundtrack sell more than 32 million copies. The Raspberries regrouped in 2004 for a series of shows which became a national tour. Carmen died on March 11, aged 74. — Agencies