Karen Carpenter

Thirty years ago Karen Carpenter died of heart failure probably caused by anorexia. She was only 32. The Carpenters had peaked several years earlier. Never cool, they still managed to chart hit after hit. So much has been said to describe her voice. It was pure, but she could do so much without seeming to try to emote. There are actors who can do the same, barely twitching a facial muscle or blinking, yet conveying everything.
For me, their first single, a slowed version of the Beetles "Ticket to Ride" is the best thing they did. She was only nineteen at the time, with those girlish bangs. Some may not known that she played the drums before singing.
In a 1976 interview with an LA DJ she covered a number of topics. Most telling is her quickly refuting the idea that she and Richard were loners. She explained neither had found the right person and guys were intimidated by her.  I found and bought her only solo CD, released many years after her death. It's pretty good and one wonders why it was held back.
If you go on You Tube you'll understand why she is missed, especially in light of all the overly dramatic singing that suffocates the air waves.