This was after they moved to Downey, California. Collins parents married in 1984, after dating since the late 1970s. Colin Carpenter Profiles | Facebook The 1971 summer show saw them play in front of about 50,000 people. She eventually found herself in the habit of taking tons of pills. Richard Carpenter recalling the moments of his deceased sister, Karen Carpenter. It might sound more bizarre than it actually is, but Richard actually married his own cousin, and had five children with her! The group included his sister, Karen, but sadly, their career was short-lived following her untimely death. Finally, her parents and Richard helped her move back home to Los Angeles. She seemed to be resuming a normal life, but curiously took more naps than usual. He would ask for up to $50,000 at a time. The diet helped her get down to a healthy-looking 120 lbs. It peaked at number 54 on theBillboard Hot 100. [31] The family resides in Thousand Oaks, California, and Richard and the children sometimes perform music together at various Carpenter-related events. Concerned fans began to approach Bash about his client assuming that Karen had cancer or some life-threatening illness. She hired a trainer to help her lose weight, but the high carb, low-calorie diet only made her bulk up in muscle without appearing thinner. The Carpenters had a European tour lined up, but doctors would not clear her to perform. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'liverampup_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_1',195,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-liverampup_com-large-leaderboard-2-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'liverampup_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_2',195,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-liverampup_com-large-leaderboard-2-0_1');.large-leaderboard-2-multi-195{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:250px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}. [citation needed]. Along with two older friends, a group was formed and they played at a local pizza parlor. In 1996, at the suggestion of music writer Daniel Levitin, Carpenter recorded and released Richard Carpenter: Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor, which included reworkings of many Carpenters favorites, including hits and album tracks, and ends with "Karen's Theme", which Carpenter composed for the television film The Karen Carpenter Story (1989). 54 on the Billboard Hot 100, and Close to You and Weve Only Just Begun climbed to No. Please go to the Instagram Feed settings page to create a feed. After high school, Karen started the Stillman diet which focuses on lean meats and a minimum of eight glasses of water per day. [15][16] At the time he sought help, Carpenter had a doctor's prescription for Quaalude as a sleep aid, but his use had gotten out of hand. Richard recalled their childhood years in New Haven, Connecticut, and how he marveled at Karen's powerfully subtle voice, which made her the perfect lead singer for the group while he supported her with harmonies.