Post by cam83 on Nov 7, 2003 23:38:37 GMT -5
Karen made the move to New York to begin treatment with Dr. Steven Levenkron. She stayed at the fancy, expensive REGENCY HOTEL. Her treatment consisted of 1 hour treatments, 5 days a week. (So in reality, her treatment was actually quite lengthy...not the 9 months that always gets mentionned...because in that 9 month period she almost went through 45 months of treatment. As most anorexics go for an hour session a week, and Karen went for 5 one hour sessions at a week. 20 sessions in one month. So she actually committed herself to a lot of therapy. This was a woman determined to get well. And of course putting on weight takes a lot of time, and a lot of emotional involvement is needed. Karen had to overcome her fear of eating and putting weight back on and getting used to looking near normal.)
Several more singles make the chart but peak out of the Top 50.
April 1982...Karen comes home for a brief vacation from treatment and records her last songs. NOW is one of them, a work lead. It's a gorgeous song. Several other sungs are done at this time.
In her 9 month period in New York, she wears out 30 pairs of jogging shoes, as she is bent on walking, and running everywhere.
She is put in the hospital at Lenox Hill, and is attached to an IV. Gradually her food intake is increased by herself eating, and her IV decreased. Karen made comments to several friends, "Oh, they're ever so happy with me in here...I weigh 84 pounds!" which shocked her guests. But for an anorexic to gain 7 pounds is nothing short of a miracle. And it is also taking small steps or in this case, small bites that lead to her recovery.
Her weight gets up to 108 pounds and she heads back to LA with her parents. She says to good friend Dionne Warwick..."I've got a lot of living left to do!"
She performs at Buckley Elementary School, where her twin god children attend, and sang some songs in December 1982, her last ever performance.
In January 1983, Karen and Richard are among many other celebrities who have their photos taken at the Grammy Awards Alumni. Karen is looking better.
February 3, 1983, Karen heads over to her Mom and Dad's at Newville Avenue to visit. She spends the night at her parents. The next morning, she is found unconscious in the walk in wardrobe closet upstairs in one of the bedrooms. She was apparently getting dressed for the day. The paramedics arrive quickly, but she dies at the Downey Community Hospital at 9:51 p.s.t.
The world is shocked and saddened. But even more puzzled and mounting curiosity begins when they find out that she suffered from this bizarre eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa. This is also evidenced in the February 21, 1983 PEOPLE weekly, magazine cover story of her life and death. It became lodged in the ALL TIME 10 BEST SELLING PEOPLE magazine copies of all time, at 2.5 million copies sold. Also, that magazine issue for 1983 is the Number One copy for that year.
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Richard is making plans to finish the album that he and Karen had been working on. Actually it is a bunch of unfinished tracks from 1975 and on...with Karen's last recording NOW, done in April 1982. This is a gorgeous superb track.
Karen is remembered at a Tribute at a Church. Agnes, Harold and Richard are there in attendance, as well as variety of celebrity friends.
Richard releases VOICE OF THE HEART in October 1983. It is a success in UK where it hits the Top 10 Album charts. In the US it does moderately well( 20 years later, this album will finally go gold...500,000 copies sold in US). This album features some wonderful songs sung as only Karen can. Ordinary Fool is a nice, bluesy reading. Make Believe It's Your First Time will become an adult contemporary hit. Look To Your Dreams is a marvelous recording, but very sad, with Richard ending the song with a melancholy piano fade out. The album also features one of Karen's favorite pictures from her New York solo album photo shoot.
At Tennessee the Strollee Plant, is dedicated to Karen Carpenter. The family goes there for the dedication. The Strollee Plant is a baby stroller company which Carpenters have invested in.
Carpenter family with Richard promote the album "Voice of the Heart". They appear on Good Morning America.
Several more singles make the chart but peak out of the Top 50.
April 1982...Karen comes home for a brief vacation from treatment and records her last songs. NOW is one of them, a work lead. It's a gorgeous song. Several other sungs are done at this time.
In her 9 month period in New York, she wears out 30 pairs of jogging shoes, as she is bent on walking, and running everywhere.
She is put in the hospital at Lenox Hill, and is attached to an IV. Gradually her food intake is increased by herself eating, and her IV decreased. Karen made comments to several friends, "Oh, they're ever so happy with me in here...I weigh 84 pounds!" which shocked her guests. But for an anorexic to gain 7 pounds is nothing short of a miracle. And it is also taking small steps or in this case, small bites that lead to her recovery.
Her weight gets up to 108 pounds and she heads back to LA with her parents. She says to good friend Dionne Warwick..."I've got a lot of living left to do!"
She performs at Buckley Elementary School, where her twin god children attend, and sang some songs in December 1982, her last ever performance.
In January 1983, Karen and Richard are among many other celebrities who have their photos taken at the Grammy Awards Alumni. Karen is looking better.
February 3, 1983, Karen heads over to her Mom and Dad's at Newville Avenue to visit. She spends the night at her parents. The next morning, she is found unconscious in the walk in wardrobe closet upstairs in one of the bedrooms. She was apparently getting dressed for the day. The paramedics arrive quickly, but she dies at the Downey Community Hospital at 9:51 p.s.t.
The world is shocked and saddened. But even more puzzled and mounting curiosity begins when they find out that she suffered from this bizarre eating disorder, Anorexia Nervosa. This is also evidenced in the February 21, 1983 PEOPLE weekly, magazine cover story of her life and death. It became lodged in the ALL TIME 10 BEST SELLING PEOPLE magazine copies of all time, at 2.5 million copies sold. Also, that magazine issue for 1983 is the Number One copy for that year.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Richard is making plans to finish the album that he and Karen had been working on. Actually it is a bunch of unfinished tracks from 1975 and on...with Karen's last recording NOW, done in April 1982. This is a gorgeous superb track.
Karen is remembered at a Tribute at a Church. Agnes, Harold and Richard are there in attendance, as well as variety of celebrity friends.
Richard releases VOICE OF THE HEART in October 1983. It is a success in UK where it hits the Top 10 Album charts. In the US it does moderately well( 20 years later, this album will finally go gold...500,000 copies sold in US). This album features some wonderful songs sung as only Karen can. Ordinary Fool is a nice, bluesy reading. Make Believe It's Your First Time will become an adult contemporary hit. Look To Your Dreams is a marvelous recording, but very sad, with Richard ending the song with a melancholy piano fade out. The album also features one of Karen's favorite pictures from her New York solo album photo shoot.
At Tennessee the Strollee Plant, is dedicated to Karen Carpenter. The family goes there for the dedication. The Strollee Plant is a baby stroller company which Carpenters have invested in.
Carpenter family with Richard promote the album "Voice of the Heart". They appear on Good Morning America.
Benn 
