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Thread: Karen Carpenter

  1. #1
    MIZIZVOGUE Guest

    Karen Carpenter

    I don't believe that Karen took her eating disorder seriously. Maybe if she had gotten into treatment earlier, she'd still be with us. Did you know that Harold Carpenter died on Richard's birthday in 1988? (October 15, 1988)

  2. #2
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    I have a Karen Carpenter joke - but I won't say it here...

    Yeah, I LOVED The Carpenters. "Goodbye to Love" is my "theme" song - love it! (and I live it! ).

    Karen had really low self-esteem and took all those comments about her being the "chubby" sister to heart and spent the rest of her (shortened) life and career trying to be thin as she can to shut all those idiots up.

  3. #3
    Danny62 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Aries65 View Post
    I have a Karen Carpenter joke - but I won't say it here...

    Yeah, I LOVED The Carpenters. "Goodbye to Love" is my "theme" song - love it! (and I live it! ).

    Karen had really low self-esteem and took all those comments about her being the "chubby" sister to heart and spent the rest of her (shortened) life and career trying to be thin as she can to shut all those idiots up.
    Is this it:

    "What do you call karen Carpenter with A yeast infection? A quarter pounder with cheese!"

  4. #4
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    Quote Originally Posted by Danny62 View Post
    Is this it:

    "What do you call karen Carpenter with A yeast infection? A quarter pounder with cheese!"
    No, it's this one:

    "If Mama Cass would have given Karen Carpenter her ham sandwich - both of them would still be alive!"

    I know - tacky!

    And we all know that Mama Cass died of heart failure and NOT from choking on a ham sandwich...

  5. #5
    Snoopy Guest
    Um yuck....

  6. #6
    Snoopy Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Snoopy View Post
    Um yuck....
    meant for the Quarter pounder with cheese joke..

  7. #7
    joelvis72 Guest
    This is sappy as hell, but I always thought Karen needed a hug (and love I guess) more than anything else, and she never got it. I feel a great sadness when I listen to or think about her, except for the Carpenters' Christmas songs.

  8. #8
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    Up until the end her voice was clear as a bell. We had the same birthday, March 2nd. I hope she's at peace.

  9. #9
    Danny62 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by joelvis72 View Post
    This is sappy as hell, but I always thought Karen needed a hug (and love I guess) more than anything else, and she never got it. I feel a great sadness when I listen to or think about her, except for the Carpenters' Christmas songs.
    Didn't mean to offend!!! I felt great sorrow for karen as well. I wish They could have gotten her help!!

    My favorite "we've only just begun".

  10. #10
    Danny62 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Aries65 View Post
    No, it's this one:

    "If Mama Cass would have given Karen Carpenter her ham sandwich - both of them would still be alive!"

    I know - tacky!

    And we all know that Mama Cass died of heart failure and NOT from choking on a ham sandwich...
    Haven't heard that one.

    So why was the story around she died from choking on a ham sandwich anyway?

  11. #11
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    Quote Originally Posted by Danny62 View Post
    Haven't heard that one.

    So why was the story around she died from choking on a ham sandwich anyway?
    Due to the fact there was a half-eaten sandwich on the table next to her bed when they found her.

  12. #12
    xenaswolf Guest
    I remember exactly where I was when I heard about Karen Carpenter dying. Church camp. Wow I was soooo sad.

    If you listen to her music ( I don't know how many she and her brother wrote) there was a very depressed theme....Goodbye to Love, Rainy Days and Mondays,etc. Personally I think her asshole brother should be hung up by his pecker. He used her talent, was jealous of her because of her talent, and made fun of her weight. Well mister drug abuser, how does it feel to know some of the crappy things you said to her helped kill her? Ooops sorry I get a little hot thinking about it.

    I hope she has found the peace she so needed. She died after getting treatment for her disorder and from what I understand was on the road to recovery when she passed. It's said her heart just couldn't take the strain.

  13. #13
    erin Guest
    She was being treated, but her heart was already too far gone. It just gave out. Not many know that Karen was married at the time of her death. I thought that was interesting.

  14. #14
    ST Moron Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by erin View Post
    She was being treated, but her heart was already too far gone. It just gave out.
    I'm curious: was it the constant starvation part of her lifestyle that did her in?

    Or was it the binge/purge thing (and the resulting yo-yo weight loss/gain) that was supposed to have weakened her heart so much?

  15. #15
    joelvis72 Guest
    no offense at all, we've only just begun is one of my favorites as well. i lost a former girlfriend earlier this year in an accident and i listened to that song quite a few times...again, sad, but oddly comforting.

  16. #16
    leppchic Guest
    OMG you guys crack me up LOL. That might have been tacky but lets all say it together: damn funny!! My kind of people

    I too agree, I don't think she took it seriously and I don't think anyone else around her did either. But I guess back then we didn't know as much about eating disorders as we do today. Who really knows.....

  17. #17
    Ms. K Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by ST Moron View Post
    I'm curious: was it the constant starvation part of her lifestyle that did her in?

    Or was it the binge/purge thing (and the resulting yo-yo weight loss/gain) that was supposed to have weakened her heart so much?
    Well, I know that one of the problems with eating disorders is the effects on the body, and that the heart can be affected adversely. But I don't know what exactly killed Karen. Other than her asshole brother, and his constant taunting, use, and abuse of his sister.

  18. #18
    Nik Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Ms. K View Post
    Well, I know that one of the problems with eating disorders is the effects on the body, and that the heart can be affected adversely. But I don't know what exactly killed Karen. Other than her asshole brother, and his constant taunting, use, and abuse of his sister.
    I saw a special somewhere mentioning her, and it said it was actually gaining back the weight too fast. Her heart was already weakened, and the hospital tried to put the weight back on her, and she simply couldn't take the strain.

  19. #19
    star82 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Aries65 View Post
    No, it's this one:

    "If Mama Cass would have given Karen Carpenter her ham sandwich - both of them would still be alive!"

    I know - tacky!

    And we all know that Mama Cass died of heart failure and NOT from choking on a ham sandwich...

    HA! that is a good one..


    totally irrelevant,

    what is the opposite of Christopher Reeve?- Christopher Walken!

  20. #20
    firegilnotguns Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by star82 View Post
    what is the opposite of Christopher Reeve?- Christopher Walken!
    Bahaha, oh man, that's terrible...

  21. #21
    Darrianne Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by ST Moron View Post
    I'm curious: was it the constant starvation part of her lifestyle that did her in?

    Or was it the binge/purge thing (and the resulting yo-yo weight loss/gain) that was supposed to have weakened her heart so much?

    I think it could have very well been a combo of both. My heart doctor and I talked about this one time and he told me that being too skinny was just as dangerous to your heart as being too fat. He also said he thought it was the years of eating so little coupled with the binge/purge that weakened her heart the way it did. So sad.

  22. #22
    MIZIZVOGUE Guest
    She died in part from years of starvation, putting on weight too fast and the fact that she abused ipecac syrup.

  23. #23
    knothere Guest
    They say she haunts the recording studio Crysalis Records, they put a crystal in it to keep her happy its a long story but thats the point i guess.

  24. #24
    From what I've read, her mother Agnes was a piece of work too. A real cold fish.

  25. #25
    Thorn Bird Guest
    I think by the time anyone took it seriously, it was too late, unfortunately. So sad. Oh, to have a voice like that! I don't think Richard is totally to blame - he was fighting his own demons at the time.

    I saw them when they toured in the summer of 1975, and I remember being struck by how thin she was. But back then not as much was known about anorexia, and if you mentioned it to anyone they'd say "Well, the camera adds 15 pounds, so they HAVE to stay thin!"

    She was abusing ipecac - she was also abusing laxatives, to the tune of 70-90 a day. It's amazing, especially since she hardly ate at all - they had to be shredding her insides.

    It's true she was married when she died, but she was planning to go (with Olivia Newton John) to sign the divorce papers that day.

    And I thought that all the stories about her being called "chubby" in the newspapers in the early days were myths - that never really happened.

  26. #26
    djdeath-hag Guest
    To steal a quote from a college friend of mine........going back a couple of decades...."God, I LOVE that skinny dead bitch!!!!" (not meaning that Karen was or that my friend Kim (who struggled with her weight) or I ever though of Karen as a bitch....just a saying. It stuck with me....now all of my favorite divas have been dubbed as "bitches" (Big-Nosed Bitch=Babs; Beach-Bitch=Bette; Bayou Bitch=Linda Ronstadt; Big Tit Bitch=Dolly; On-Going Heart Bitch=Celine; Cuban Bitch=Gloria....I could go on & on....but you get the point....and hopefully see the humor!)

  27. #27
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    Quote Originally Posted by Thorn Bird View Post
    I think by the time anyone took it seriously, it was too late, unfortunately. So sad. Oh, to have a voice like that! I don't think Richard is totally to blame - he was fighting his own demons at the time.

    I saw them when they toured in the summer of 1975, and I remember being struck by how thin she was. But back then not as much was known about anorexia, and if you mentioned it to anyone they'd say "Well, the camera adds 15 pounds, so they HAVE to stay thin!"

    She was abusing ipecac - she was also abusing laxatives, to the tune of 70-90 a day. It's amazing, especially since she hardly ate at all - they had to be shredding her insides.

    It's true she was married when she died, but she was planning to go (with Olivia Newton John) to sign the divorce papers that day.

    And I thought that all the stories about her being called "chubby" in the newspapers in the early days were myths - that never really happened.
    I read somewhere that her and her husband were seperated, but he came to the funeral. He went to her coffin, took off his wedding ring, tossed it into the (open) casket and walked away. No one ever heard from him again.

  28. #28
    NOVSTORM Guest
    I read that about the ring too. I also heard that he tried to help her and when they broke up he was very angry and that he hated her parents because they helped her get addicted to pills and got her diet pills to begin with ! He still loved Karen and was so very angry that she died. Such a shame such a voice. Weird how her brother moved her and the parents to a new place by his new home so he can be near them.

  29. #29
    Daphne Guest
    As I understand it, bulemia depletes the potassium in the body,which causes unreal stress on the heart. This is why so many bulemics have heart issues-as well, anorexia simply starves the body to death.. but the actual heart issue is more in tune with lack of potassium..
    I loved Karen Carpenters voice, it was the most beautiful voice, some of those songs were sappy - I heard that John Lennon actually paid her a visit and told her how much he loved her voice.

  30. #30
    candleinthewind Guest
    She was abusing diuretics too because some anorexics think that losing water weight is the way to go. A friend of hers said she ate lemons constantly because of their diuretic effect. In addition to her heart, her kidneys were probably in bad shape too.

  31. #31
    SquirrelNutZipper Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by candleinthewind View Post
    She was abusing diuretics too because some anorexics think that losing water weight is the way to go. A friend of hers said she ate lemons constantly because of their diuretic effect. In addition to her heart, her kidneys were probably in bad shape too.
    I would also suspect her teeth were in really bad shape too.

  32. #32
    attackatdawn Guest
    I have a good friend who was adopted by a rich couple who lived next door to the Carpenters when Karen was first getting into the music industry. My friend said when she was a child they would visit the Carpenter family and Karen would play the piano and let my friend sing. My friend thinks Karens obsession with being thin had alot to do with the people in the music industry & Karens mom who constantly told her she was getting too fat for tv & the cameras.

  33. #33
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    Did anyone ever watch that made-for-TV-movie, "the Karen Carpenter Story". Any thoughts?

    I thought it was pretty good.

    Also another good Karen bio was E!'s True Hollywood Story on the Carpenters. A couple of the band members mentioned how much of a controlling bitch Karen could be back stage with everyone.

    Which reminds me of another Karen Carpenter joke...

    After Jerry Garcia dies, he goes to heaven and is greeted by Elvis Presely, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix. An empty drum kit is sitting to the side.

    "Oh man it's Elvis, and I get to jam with you all - I must be in Heaven!"

    "Heaven? Are you kidding?" Elvis says.

    At that moment, Karen Carpenter walks in and takes her place at the drums,

    "Okay, places everyone, one, two, three..we've only just begun..."

    I remember seeing that in a Reader Digest - and if I quoted it wrong, sorry!
    Last edited by Aries65; 10-13-2007 at 01:09 PM.

  34. #34
    I liked the Carpenters also. My musical taste leans to something with a harder edge but they did have some great music.

  35. #35
    Ms. K Guest
    I have a feeling that there was always way more to the relationship between Karen and Richard the Prick than anyone has ever said.

    Why do I keep thinking that he sexually abused her when they were growing up? I swear, that's one of those creepy thoughts I'd rather not have, but damn, that'll screw a person up for life.

    Poor Karen. Such a wasted life, and wasted talent.

  36. #36
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    Quote Originally Posted by Ms. K View Post
    I have a feeling that there was always way more to the relationship between Karen and Richard the Prick than anyone has ever said.

    Why do I keep thinking that he sexually abused her when they were growing up? I swear, that's one of those creepy thoughts I'd rather not have, but damn, that'll screw a person up for life.

    Poor Karen. Such a wasted life, and wasted talent.
    I don't think it was something as sinister as that. I'm pretty sure it was Karen's mother that had been at the root of everything. Growing up with a mother who was always telling you how fat you are and that you need to lose weight can really screw up a kids' self-esteem for the rest of their life.

    I'm pretty sure her Mom's words echoed thru her head all thru her career - which caused her to go the way she did with her anorexia.

  37. #37
    Snoopy Guest
    She had a one of a kind voice none like it..and I agree I think her brother was horribly jeaous of her and her mother was just a mean cold person!.

  38. #38
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aries65 View Post
    Did anyone ever watch that made-for-TV-movie, "the Karen Carpenter Story". Any thoughts?

    I thought it was pretty good.

    Also another good Karen bio was E!'s True Hollywood Story on the Carpenters. A couple of the band members mentioned how much of a controlling bitch Karen could be back stage with everyone.

    Which reminds me of another Karen Carpenter joke...

    After Jerry Garcia dies, he goes to heaven and is greeted by Elvis Presely, Jim Morrison, and Jimi Hendrix. An empty drum kit is sitting to the side.

    "Oh man it's Elvis, and I get to jam with you all - I must be in Heaven!"

    "Heaven? Are you kidding?" Elvis says.

    At that moment, Karen Carpenter walks in and takes her place at the drums,

    "Okay, places everyone, one, two, three..we've only just begun..."

    I remember seeing that in a Reader Digest - and if I quoted it wrong, sorry!

    You have waaaay too much time on your hands! Good to see it is being put to good use though ;-)
    I am a sick puppy....woof woof!!!
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  39. #39
    mommafreak Guest
    What a heavenly voice she had. I'm sure she's singing in heaven with a new healthy spiritual body. I have no idea which way to go on her brother, fault, no fault, partly fault, it's just a tragic shame. If any of my 2 brothers or 1 sister even started with the anx/bul stuff, we'd jump in and get them help. How can someone who is bigger than a thin person sit there and tell them they are overweight. Like I need someone to tell me I need to loose 30 lbs. I pity the fool who does........ Anyway, just with Karen could of told her bro to shove it. RIP Karen and keep singing.

  40. #40
    Tombstone Tourist Guest
    That whole Karen-Richard weird sex thing rumor is just that - a rumor. It stems from the fact that many times when they released their first album radio DJs mistaken them for husband/wife rather than brother/sister.

    Don't ever mention Karen's death in front of Richard - he goes ballistic. And why he spent so much money to move Mom, Dad, and Karen from that 6-figure tomb in Orange County up to LA is beyond me.

    I spoke with the family that bought the house from the mother shortly before she died and they said she was quite pleasant. They also said the house is not haunted (in case anyone was wondering). Mom also insisted that Karen died in her closet when Scott recently discovered prove Karen actually died in the kitchen.

    And if you want to see the display of Carpenter's memorabilia including drums, keyboards, original lyric sheets, and photos they are all on display in the lobby of the auditorium on the campus of Long Beach State.

  41. #41
    Irishlass Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Ms. K View Post
    I have a feeling that there was always way more to the relationship between Karen and Richard the Prick than anyone has ever said.

    Why do I keep thinking that he sexually abused her when they were growing up? I swear, that's one of those creepy thoughts I'd rather not have, but damn, that'll screw a person up for life.

    Poor Karen. Such a wasted life, and wasted talent.
    wasnt there rumors about something hinky going on in that house.

    I always thought her brother was a bit abnormally close to Karen.

  42. #42
    RoRo Guest
    Not being rude but makes me glad I'm happy with my size...yeah I'm a deluxe model; I come with all the extras...lol
    People will always go thru this till the media & society stop going on about fat being an evil thing...maybe unhealthy, but young women are getting brain warp from the media and society. Poor Karen is a prime example. People need to be happy with themselves and they will be able to lose weight in a healthy way if they so desire.

  43. #43
    MoJo67 Guest
    Just an opinion, and basing on what I have read, so I could be wrong, of course, but I believe Karen's esteem issues stem from her parents. Weird, cold people. I think Karen and Richard were just really close as brother and sister because they didn't get affection from their folks, so they hugged each other (not meaning in a bad way). Kids need hugs and and to be complimented. Anyway, who knows, just my opinon. I also get a gay vibe from Richard. Nothing wrong with that, some of my best friends are gay! Just something I kinda get.
    Last edited by MoJo67; 10-16-2007 at 08:49 AM.

  44. #44
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    Wow, I had never heard anything about Richard being such a dick! I remember watching the TV movie "THe Carpenters" and my take on it was he loved and cared for her very much...but that's all the info I really had seen /heard about her.

  45. #45
    Tombstone Tourist Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by PiggyTx View Post
    Wow, I had never heard anything about Richard being such a dick! I remember watching the TV movie "THe Carpenters" and my take on it was he loved and cared for her very much...but that's all the info I really had seen /heard about her.
    I think the jury is out on whether Richard is a dick. He was, however, very controlling in the studio and at rehearsals. He made the musicians play the music EXACTLY note for note per the albums.

    He was also less than kind regarding Karen's solo stuff. Yes it was not her best work, but he could have let go a little and let her do her own thing.

    I think he was humbled a little when his own drug problem overtook him.

  46. #46
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    Quote Originally Posted by MoJo67 View Post
    I also get a gay vibe from Richard. Nothing wrong with that, some of my best friends are gay! Just something I kinda get.
    Yeah, my "gaydar" sort of peaks a bit about him also. Maybe he's always just wanted to stay in the closet - altho he is married now with a few kids.

  47. #47
    MoJo67 Guest
    Hello Aries~ If he were, (NOT saying he is for sure), he is from a time (and PARENTS) where it wasn't a wise thing to admit. I know a few men who choose to stay closeted, and keep up the ruse with their wives, etc. I think it is sad, actually.
    I was just thinking that may also be a reason he is such a perfectionist and comes off as "Richard Cranium" ( dick head).
    At any rate, Karen was an awesome singer, definitely gone too soon!

  48. #48
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    Quote Originally Posted by MoJo67 View Post
    Hello Aries~ If he were, (NOT saying he is for sure), he is from a time (and PARENTS) where it wasn't a wise thing to admit. I know a few men who choose to stay closeted, and keep up the ruse with their wives, etc. I think it is sad, actually.
    I was just thinking that may also be a reason he is such a perfectionist and comes off as "Richard Cranium" ( dick head).
    At any rate, Karen was an awesome singer, definitely gone too soon!
    Well, IF he is, I think part of it stems from his career - altho he's mostly riding on Karen's coat-tails these days - and doesn't want to come out and then "taint" the Carpenters any further by admitting that he's Gay.

    But with all the interviews I've seen him do, he just seems to put off that "vibe" - maybe IF he is, he just keeps it all on the down-low...

    ...much like Tom Cruise does...oh did I just say that??

  49. #49
    D3LIVIĆ?N Guest

    A big meat sandwhich

    Two things. The part on the DD DVD with Scott talking about the Karen Carpenter TV movie and wearing the same dress she wore, and using the same abulence drivers that were there....That was crazy creepy cool.

    Also, my friend used to live right next to the cemetary that Karen is buried at, and our ongoing joke is that we tell people she is buried....
    In a tiny little grave.
    Last edited by D3LIVIĆ?N; 10-16-2007 at 02:10 PM. Reason: your mom

  50. #50
    MoJo67 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Aries65 View Post
    Well, IF he is, I think part of it stems from his career - altho he's mostly riding on Karen's coat-tails these days - and doesn't want to come out and then "taint" the Carpenters any further by admitting that he's Gay.

    But with all the interviews I've seen him do, he just seems to put off that "vibe" - maybe IF he is, he just keeps it all on the down-low...

    ...much like Tom Cruise does...oh did I just say that??

    Haha~ I always thought that too.. (TC)

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