Eric Carmen, the vocalist of the rock band Raspberries, died at 74 in March 2024. At the time of his death, Carmen had a net worth of $5 million- accumulated from his music career spanning nearly six decades.
A native of Ohio and a first-generation American, the singer-songwriter pursued music from an early age. However, it wasn’t until he turned 21 that he hit mainstream fame after co-founding the rock and roll band Raspberries.
With the band until they disbanded in 1975, Carmen gave vocals in its four studio albums, including their hit single, Go All the Way. It reportedly sold 1.3 million copies and charted #5 on Billboard 100.
Later, he had a successful solo music career, releasing six studio albums from 1975 to 2000. Out of Eric’s 13 solo singles on Billboard 100, three charted in the top five- his song “All by Myself” received an RIAA gold certification.
So, what happens to his estate now? Want to know more about Carmen’s fortune, property, and earnings? Stay with us throughout the article.
- Quick Facts
- Eric Carmen’s Net Worth: How Rich Was The ‘Hunger Eyes’ Singer?
- Eric Carmen’s Income Sources: Earnings And Album Sales
- How Much Carmen Made In Music Royalty?
- Divorce Alimony Cut Out A Chunk Of His Estate
- Eric Carmen’s Legal Battle With His Brother
- Where Did Eric Carmen Used To Live? House And Cars
- Carmen Died In 2024: Who Will Inherit His Estate?
Quick Facts
| Name | Eric Howard Carmen |
| Nickname | Eric Carmen |
| Date of Birth | August 11, 1949 |
| Date of Death | March 2024 (at 74 years old) |
| Place of Birth | Cleveland, Ohio |
| Nationality | American |
| Ethnicity | White |
| Parents | Elmer and Ruth Carmen (Russian Jewish immigrants) |
| Siblings | Fred Carment (brother) |
| Wives | 3 (Amy Murphy, Susan Carmen, Marcy Hill) |
| Children | 2 (Kathryn Carmen and Clayton Carmen) |
| Profession | Singer-songwriter, Guitarist |
| Career Active | 1967- 2024 (until death) |
| Famous As | Vocalist of the ‘Raspberries’ |
| Gender | Male |
| Sexual Orientation | Straight |
| Social Media | N/A |
Eric Carmen’s Net Worth: How Rich Was The ‘Hunger Eyes’ Singer?
Carmen’s estimated net worth was $5 million at the time of his death. The late American singer-songwriter collected a hefty sum from his 57-year music career, particularly as the frontman of the rock and roll band Raspberries and from his solo career.
Aside from his cut on album sales, Eric made decent earnings from concerts/tours and royalties.
Following his band’s break up in 1975, he went on a solo and released notable songs like All by Myself, Never Gonna Fall in Love Again, Hungry Eyes, and Make Me Lose Control.
After releasing his 2000 solo album I Was Born to Love You, the power pop singer had relatively low music releases. Nearly 15 years later, on December 24, 2013, he made a new recording, “Brand New Year,” but even after that, he made a handful of public appearances.
| Net Worth | $2 million |
| Primary Income Source | Music career |
| Supplementary Income Source | Royalty, Concerts, Merch |
| Assets | House in Arizona |
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Net Worth In Different Currencies
Here is the conversion of Carmen’s fortune into other currencies. (Exchange rate as of March 13, 2024)
| Country | Net Worth |
|---|---|
| United States of America | USD 5,000,000 |
| Australia | Australian Dollar 7,558,025 |
| Canada | Canadian Dollar 6,743,575 |
| European Nations | Euro 4,574,675 |
| Japan | Japanese Yen 738,647,500 |
| United Kingdom | Pound Sterling 3,907,475 |
| United Arab Emirates | UAE Dirham 18,364,500 |
| Bitcoin | BTC 68.23 |
Eric Carmen’s Income Sources: Earnings And Album Sales
It’s no rocket science to say that, like every musician, the Ohio-born singer primarily earned from his album sales. However, in-depth, a band signs a contract with a record label and gets a certain percentage of royalty from the album sales.
The scenario is no different for Eric’s Cleveland-based rock and roll band, Raspberries, which released four studio albums with Capitol Records, LLC.
| Album (with Raspberries) | Chart On Billboard |
| Raspberries (April 10, 972) | #51 |
| Fresh (November 12, 1972) | #36 |
| Side 3 (September 10, 1973) | #128 |
| Starting Over (September 16, 1974) | #143 |
The 1972 single Go All the Way from the band’s debut album sold over 1.3 million copies, charting #5 on Billboard Hot 100 and RPM (of Canada). It became the only RIAA Gold-certified song of Raspberries.
According to online sources and prevailing trends, a band’s vocalist earns more than the others. So, Carmen may have earned a significant chunk of money.
Even if the exact figure for album sales or Carmen’s monetary contract is not out, he possibly amassed a 6-digit fortune.
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Solo Album And Its Sales
After parting ways with the Raspberries, Eric released his eponymous debut solo album, Eric Carmen, in November 1975. It became an RIAA: Gold certified album with over 500,000 sales in the United States and over 50,000 sales in Canada.
Even more, his single All by Myself from his debut album received RIAA: Gold certification and charted #2 on Billboard Hot 100.
Check out Carmen’s solo albums and his hit songs.
| Album | Hit Songs | Billboard 100 Chart |
|---|---|---|
| Eric Carmen (1975) | All by Myself | #2 |
| Never Gonna Fall in Love Again | #11 | |
| Boats Against the Current (1977) | She Did It | #23 |
| Change of Heart 1978) | Change of Heart | #19 |
| Baby I Need Your Loving | #62 | |
| Tonight You’re Mine (1980) | It Hurts Too Much | #75 |
| Eric Carmen (1984) | I Wanna Hear It from Your Lips | #35 |
| The Best of Eric Carmen (1988) | Make Me Lose Control | #3 |
How Much Carmen Made In Music Royalty?
As reported, Eric made between $600K and $800K annually in the late 2000s from his music royalties- both with his band and solo career.
The 5-time Grammy Award-winning singer Celine Dion covered her version of Eric’s song, All By Myself, in 1996 for her album Falling into You. The remake of the song received gold certification in the US (500,000) and in the UK (400,000).
While there’s no concrete evidence, forum discussions of die-hard Carmen fans state that the late American singer-songwriter made $5 million in royalties from Celine Dion’s version of that particular song.
With that said, let’s not forget that Eric also paid 12% royalty on his songs, “All by Myself” and “Never Gonna Fall in Love Again” to the late Russian pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff for using his piece melody in his songs.
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Divorce Alimony Cut Out A Chunk Of His Estate
The ‘She Did It’ singer was married three times and divorced his first two wives. However, his split with his second wife, Susan Brown, didn’t go smoothly.
Carmen married Susan on May 22, 1993, but they divorced in 2009 after 16 years of marriage. According to online sources, Eric’s second ex-wife, Susan, received half of the singer’s estate (royalty and properties).
According to a July 12, 2012 report, Mrs. Brown filed an appeal at Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court, claiming an error in the antenuptial agreement with her then-husband, citing property division and spousal support.
In the statement that included their prenup agreement, Susan disclosed her assets to be $27,000, while the singer-songwriter stated $2 million, including $1 million in intellectual property rights from his songs.
However, further updates on the case never came up about whether it was dismissed or whether they settled out of the court.
| Wives | Married/Divorce |
| Marcy Hill (first wife) | m. October 31, 1978 – div. August 3, 1979 |
| Susan Brown (second wife) | m. May 22, 1993- div. 2009 |
| Amy Murphy (third wife) | m. October 8, 2016- until his death |
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Eric Carmen’s Legal Battle With His Brother
In November 2015, Carmen filed a lawsuit against his brother and manager, Fred Carmen, alleging that the latter mismanaged his trust money.
According to the complaint, the singer’s brother made a $25,000 unauthorized loan and failed to keep proper documentation of finances from 2008 to 2013. The 28-page complaint stated that Fred paid himself $600,000 in attorney’s fees throughout these years.
This trust foundation’s story dates back to when Carmen divorced his second wife, Susan. In May 2008, he transferred his songs’ copyright and royalties to Carmen Family Gift Trust and named his brother, Fred, as his trustee.
So, after a financial mess of his trust, Eric sued his brother to remove him from the trustee’s position. Also, he sought $25,000 on each of eight counts from Fred for a minimum total of $200,000.
The case vanished in the thin air later.
Where Did Eric Carmen Used To Live? House And Cars
The ‘I Wanna Be with You’ singer lived in Los Angeles during the peak of his career before he moved to Gates Mills, Ohio, in the 1990s. According to several forums dedicated to Eric Carmen, he paid $845,000 for the Ohio property bought in 1994.
In 2017, the singer-songwriter reportedly moved out of the residence to live in his Paradise Valley, Arizona mansion.
Online sources report that Carmen listed his Gate Mills property for sale in December 2019, asking $945K. It was sold later in 2021 for an undisclosed sum.
Carmen Died In 2024: Who Will Inherit His Estate?
The news of Eric Carmen’s death came on March 11, 2024, when his third wife, Amy Murphy, announced via the American singer’s website that he passed away “over the weekend.”
While Amy didn’t disclose the cause of his death, she wrote, “Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep.” At that time, Carmen was 74 and was legally married to Amy (since 20016).
While together, the duo didn’t share any children. Instead, Eric was the father of two: a son, Clayton, and a daughter, Kathryn, with his ex-wife, Susan.
So, many wonder if his kids or wife will inherit his $5 million fortune. According to his Carmen Family Gift Trust, his children were to be benefactors of rights to his songs and royalty after his demise.
Even if there is no report on Eric’s will on his estate, it presumably will be split between his kids and his third wife.
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