In June 1981, the Carpenters released "Made In America" which would turn out to be the last album released during Karen's lifetime. In August of that year, they made an appearance on "Good Morning, America" to publicize the release of the album. (Note: this television appearance took place 8 months before Karen recorded her last song, "Now.")
Karen had been married just a little over a year and already her marriage was beginning to show signs of strain. It is evident in this video how ill Karen was at that time in her life.
There had been no album released since "Passage" (1977) and the Carpenters were attempting a comeback. A single from the new album "Touch Me When We're Dancing," was a success, reaching #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart and #1 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. Karen and Richard went on a world tour to promote the album with television appearances in Germany and Brazil.
Shortly after returning home from the tour in November, Karen and her husband Tom Burris officially separated. Karen spent Thanksgiving and Christmas with her family. In January 1982, she went to New York to seek treatment for her anorexia nervosa with psychotherapist Steven Levenkon.
In April of 1982, Karen returned to California for a two-week vacation. Richard has said in interviews that she had lost even more weight since the last time he had seen her. While she was home, she and Richard returned to the studio and recorded several songs, including "Now," which would be the last song Karen ever recorded.
Karen returned to New York. Later in the summer of 1982, Karen was critically underweight and was hospitalized. She was fed intraveneously and gain 30 pounds over a period of several weeks. In November, she decided to leave New York and return home. Although she felt that she was cured, Richard says she just didn't look well and he told her so. The additional weight of 30 pounds added back suddenly on a body that had been underweight for so many years further strained her weakened heart, and she died of heart failure on the morning of February 4, 1983. She was just 32 years old, a month shy of her 33rd birthday.
3 янв 2011
