A Current Affair - The Karen Carpenter Cover-Up (Pt 2)

"What really killed Karen Carpenter?" On the 10th anniversary of the death of Karen Carpenter, "A Current Affair" offers a few theories.

Part 1 of a 2-part episode of "A Current Affair." Several people are interviewed including Karen's therapist Steven Levenkron.

Whatever happened to "doctor-patient confidentiality?"

A Current Affair - The Karen Carpenter Cover-Up (Pt 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjYn0HX4ZSY

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Karen
• Carpenter
• Richard
• Carpenters
• Current
• Affair
• cover
• up
• anorexia
• death
• levenkron

[jrjacobsil]

IMHO, gifted people like Karen tend to be emotionally fragile. Not only was she gifted, she made it to the very top, so she was also driven. Look at the number of gifted people we have lost since Karen,  And now Whitney Houston. I was so shocked when she died, but since then I am never shocked by the death of a gifted musical talent at a young age as it is seen so frequently. Also, I don't believe she had a miserable life. All of those smiles were fake? An unfortunate early demise.

[Pandora714]

It's a little weird that they are using scenes from the Karen Carpenter Story as if they are actual video of her and her life.

[evernetherall]

Karen, from my generation, suffered much the same anxieties & neuroses typcal to us 'only' girls with one brother & stodgy parents. Inarguable Facts: U-cannot abuse laxatives without severe damage; nor abuse Ipicac, damaging u'r stomach muscles from constant barfing; AND MOSTLY, U-canNOT severely abuse thyroid supp. & fail 2-do perm.damage to u'r metabolic function, body & BRAIN. Such monstrous self-med abuses caused her weight-loss but ALL the perm.dmg.came 1st, causing her sudden death ,~_~\\

[CampbellScot]

It is true that Karen's anorexia spent years weakening her body, and the emetic and laxatives added their own element of weakness to her heart. The sad thing is, had Steven Levenkron not declared himself an anorexia expert (which is such a JOKE. He clearly knew NOTHING about anorexia or the way it works) had she never met him, she may be alive today. The rapid weight gain that took place under this man's care is what did her in.She died b/c of ignorance and arrogance.He killed her. No question.

[falldownhard]

I don't like that doctor at all. It certainly WAS the anorexia that killed her - the death certificate said something like "complications from anorexia nervosa". The severe weight loss first showed up in the mid-70s. All those drugs wouldn't have been taken otherwise - in other documentaries it was discussed that she put the weight back on too quickly for her heart to take and that makes sense. Probably the epicac did tip her over the edge. I'm sure we'll never know everything. So sad.

[simplyscrummy]

This also doesn't mention that the mother doted on Richard and ignored Karen until Karen became anorexic. I've read that in several places. Have also read negative things about Levenkron, who does seem to be trying to prove in the face of criticism from Karen's friends that he "cured" her of her anorexia.

[JennTess1]

All families have their own..so no one was there. Everyone has his or her own family issues and they should be private, no matter if one is fireman or cassiere or singer.

Once one is famous, their house becomes made of glass and everyone wants to look in and what;s even worse judge about you, not only what you do, where you sleep, what you eat, most of all what you LOOK like.

[JennTess1]

My guess is that Karen just was on her own, having tours, with her loved brother Richard and a band of ( surely wonderful) men, a crowd so nice , silent hotelrooms, pressure and never a moment alone. But when alone unhappy and lonely and sad even enjoying all the family friends and fame, so unable to sleep, always trying to look her best, thinking less of her appearance because of singing up front and all the tabloids, the latter all leading up to what we all know.

=The saddest life-story

[JennTess1]

What ever could or can be the use of placing these programms after the parting of such a wonderful singer Karen A. Carpenter was?However I do agree on the comments here, but I am just one of the millions of fans.

It is for ever saddening what happened to her my guess is that Karen was superstrong and kept on going on her wonderful strong spirit. Human thought can lead to feelings so misleading and she must have felt good even using all these medications. A miracle she held on to 32 yrs of H

[rasrealtor]

It is difficult at best to watch this two part report. It is a sad epitath to a moment in time when Karen was "on top of the world", musically, if not emotionally. I still miss her voice and smile, and think of the happiness she brought to so many.