Eric Carmen, 'All By Myself' singer and frontman of the Raspberries, dies at 74

Singer-songwriter Eric Carmen, frontman of the power-pop band the Raspberries who went on to achieve success with songs such as "All By Myself" and "Hungry Eyes," has died.

He was 74. The news was announced Monday on his website with a message from his wife, Amy Carmen.

"It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen. Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend," the statement reads. "It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy."

It concludes, "Please respect the family’s privacy as we mourn our enormous loss."

A cause of death was not given.

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USA TODAY has reached out to Capitol Records, the label that was once home to the Raspberries, for comment.

Formed in 1970, the Raspberries made four albums for Capitol Records and were known for their matching suits at a time when most bands had abandoned them.

“Almost every band had hair down to their waist and beards and ripped jeans and they looked like a bunch of hippies, and I wanted to get as far away from that as I could,” Carmen told the Observer in 2017.

The Raspberries’ second album, “Fresh,” released in 1972, would be their highest charting, hitting No. 36 and featuring two Top 40 hits, “I Wanna Be With You” and “Let’s Pretend.”

The Raspberries ended their first run in 1975, two years after creative differences hastened the departures of drummer Jim Bonfanti and bassist Dave Smalley.

Eric Carmen's 'All By Myself' and the Raspberries' 'Go All the Way' have lasting power

As a solo artist, Carmen was behind iconic tunes of the '70s and '80s that have lasting power into the 2020s.

After Carmen released "All By Myself" in his self-titled debut album in 1975, the song became a radio hit, peaking at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100. The iconic track went on to be featured in films such as the 1995 Nicole Kidman movie "To Die For," "Clueless," "Almost Famous" and "Bridget Jones's Diary."

In 1996, Celine Dion covered "All By Myself," and it became one of the legendary Canadian singer's more recognizable songs.

Carmen also co-wrote "Almost Paradise," included in the Grammy-nominated "Footloose" soundtrack. "Dirty Dancing" helped another one of Carmen's songs, "Hungry Eyes," become a hit in the late '80s. It spent 25 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 4. Carmen's follow-up, "Make Me Lose Control," also made its way up the charts in 1988.

Though the Raspberries formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1970, the band's music remains beloved and earned a boost from their iconic 1998 hit "Go All the Way" being included on the "Guardians of the Galaxy" soundtrack in 2014.

Carmen and the Raspberries reunited for a couple of shows in late 2004 at Cleveland’s House of Blues, which led to dates around the country the following year and the album “Live on Sunset Strip," which included liner notes by no less a fan than Bruce Springsteen, who hailed the Raspberries as “THE great underrated power pop masters.”

“It’s more satisfying now to go onstage and play with these guys than it ever was,” Carmen told The Plain Dealer in 2007. “It’s also nice that after 30-some years, we finally seem to be eliciting the respect of the media and people who maybe the first time around didn’t quite get it.”

Contributing: Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press