Singer Karen Carpenter passed away 40 years ago at the age of 32. She was anorexic and it killed her. Now author Lucy O’Brien has revealed additional details in her new book, “Lead Sister: the Story of Karen Carpenter.”
The story of a pioneer, who despite her struggles reached the top of her game.
— Lucy O'Brien (@lucyobrientweet) May 15, 2023
My book Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter is out now:
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According to an excerpt shared by the Hollywood Reporter, Carpenter and her brother, Richard Carpenter, formed the duo “The Carpenters.” They were hit musicians who were even invited to meet then-President Richard Nixon in 1972.
But O’Brien’s book offers a closer look into Carpenter’s struggle with body image. The text detailed how “Anorexia had become a tyrannical force in her psyche, telling her that food was an enemy to be fought.”
The passage went on, “Thoughts of food and the methods to eliminate it had become obsessive, dominating her day and disrupting her sleep. ‘It’s like being haunted,’ she said.”
After struggling with previous treatment methods, Carpenter hired psychotherapist Steven Levenkron in the summer of 1982. He was a “nurturant-authoritative” and considered a controversial aid at the time.
Levenkron moved in with Carpenter and realized she was using laxatives to purge her body of food and stay thin. She also admitted to abusing a thyroid medication to boost her metabolism.
Levenkron confiscated the medication and worked to help her for months. During one breakthrough session, Carpenter is said to have stated, “I don’t need any care,” adding, “I’m successful like this.”
But her doctor would not be deterred. He pointed out, “But you do need care because you are incompetent … because you can’t keep yourself alive.” This shocked and upset her.
She weighed 77 pounds and experienced health issues that required hospitalization. When she was released, she gained 20 pounds and even celebrated Thanksgiving with her family by eating and celebrating her recovery.
She declared herself cured, but Levenkron warned that recovery would take years. Carpenter wanted to get back to work.
Unfortunately, between Thanksgiving, and that following January, her health began to fail. She ended up hospitalized in February of 1983 where she passed away due to her severe anorexia.
