Karen Anne Carpenter

 Karen Anne Carpenter (March 2, 1950 – February 4, 1983)

She and her brother, Richard, formed The Carpenters. Although her skills as a drummer earned admiration from drumming luminaries and peers, she is best known for her vocal performances. They had a string of hit songs throughout the 1970s, including Top of the World, Superstar, (They long to be) Close to you, A Kind of Hush, Merry Christmas Darling, and Goodbye to Love, among others. Unfortunately, at the height of their success, Karen was suffering from anorexia nervosa, an eating disorder which was little known at the time. On February 4, 1983, less than a month before her 33rd birthday, Carpenter collapsed in her bedroom at her parents' home in Downey, California. Paramedics called to the scene by Karen's mother found her heart beating once every 10 seconds. She was taken to nearby Downey Community Hospital for treatment, where - by then in full cardiac arrest - she was pronounced dead 20 minutes later. The results of the autopsy and cause of death were released to the public on March 11, 1983 by way of a press conference and accompanying press release. A drug or medication overdose was explicitly ruled out. The cause of Karen Carpenter's death was stated as "emetine cardiotoxicity due to or as a consequence of anorexia nervosa."

Her death led to increased visibility and awareness of eating disorders. Karen Carpenter is interred at Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village, CA.