![KAREN CARPENTER - A Lifetime of HEARTBREAK](https://cdn.magzter.com/1626675679/1701890462/articles/0DAGyUlMT1701954006001/KAREN-CARPENTER-A-LIFETIME-OF-HEARTBREAK.jpg)
Karen Carpenter enjoyed testing the limits of her beloved 1979 Jaguar XJS. “She loved to drive up the highway being chased by fans,” biographer Lucy O’Brien shares with Closer.
As one half of the Carpenters, Karen’s honeyed voice and wholesome image made her a superstar in the 1970s. Despite the greatness of the music she left behind, her premature death at age 32 from the complications of anorexia would always color her story with sadness and unfulfilled promise. A new biography seeks to change the tenor of her tragedy. “She’s been presented as a fragile person and a victim,” says O’Brien, author of Lead Sister: The Story of Karen Carpenter. “But I got a sense of a woman who was very driven, pioneering and quite stubborn. She was not a shrinking violet.”
Karen grew up very close to her brother, Richard, who was slightly more than three years older. Like two sides of the same coin, they shared similar opinions on nearly everything. “We were almost like male-female clones. The smiles were identical, and we liked and disliked the same things — not just music: comedians, movies, just about everything,” revealed Richard in 2021’s Carpenters: The Musical Legacy.
This story is from the December 18, 2023 edition of Closer US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 18, 2023 edition of Closer US.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
![GENA ROWLANDS : The Screen Legend Has Alzheimer's](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/25338/1753643/a7fDTNXsM1720094303581/GENA-ROWLANDS-THE-SCREEN-LEGEND-HAS-ALZHEIMERS.jpg)
GENA ROWLANDS : The Screen Legend Has Alzheimer's
She gave a heart-wrenching performance as a woman with Alzheimer's disease in the beloved romantic drama The Notebook.
![SAM ELLIOTT : MY LIFE IN 10 Pictures](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/25338/1753643/XJMi3voZk1720093937879/SAM-ELLIOTT-MY-LIFE-IN-10-PICTURES.jpg)
SAM ELLIOTT : MY LIFE IN 10 Pictures
\"I'MA sixth-generation Texan, even though I was born in California,\" proclaimed Samuel Pack Elliott.
![Memories of Our Father, MICHAEL LANDON](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/25338/1753643/b2n90-Vy51720093730855/MEMORIES-OF-OUR-FATHER-MICHAEL-LANDON.jpg)
Memories of Our Father, MICHAEL LANDON
HIS CHILDREN SHARE MEMORIES OF THEIR WISE, STRICT AND FUNNY DAD
![KATHLEEN TURNER : What I've Learned at 70](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/25338/1753643/UDQtuTAvk1720093638100/KATHLEEN-TURNER-WHAT-IVE-LEARNED-AT-70.jpg)
KATHLEEN TURNER : What I've Learned at 70
THE FEARLESS ACTRESS MAKES NO 70 APOLOGIES FOR STAYING TRUE TO HERSELF
![MEL HARRIS : Don't Wait UNTIL TOMORROW](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/25338/1753643/iCiPirVHQ1720093152425/MEL-HARRIS-DONT-WAIT-UNTIL-TOMORROW.jpg)
MEL HARRIS : Don't Wait UNTIL TOMORROW
The Thirtysomething alum shares favorite memories, life lessons and more
![5 ESSENTIAL SUMMER SAFETY TIPS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/25338/1753643/t673918vU1720093054361/5-ESSENTIAL-SUMMER-SAFETY-TIPS.jpg)
5 ESSENTIAL SUMMER SAFETY TIPS
FOLLOW THESE SIMPLE STEPS BEFORE YOU HEAD OUT FOR FUN IN THE SUN
![Veggie-Packed ITALIAN DELIGHTS](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/25338/1753643/8tPePVzMh1720092511387/VEGGIEPACKED-ITALIAN-DELIGHTS.jpg)
Veggie-Packed ITALIAN DELIGHTS
Travel to the Beautiful Country from the comfort of your kitchen with these simply delicious dinners
![40 Years of THE BRAT PACK](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/25338/1753643/ni9QBAMhK1720092039165/40-YEARS-OF-THE-BRAT-PACK.jpg)
40 Years of THE BRAT PACK
THE HOTTEST YOUNG ACTORS OF THE 1980S LOOK BACK AT THE LABEL THAT CHANGED THEIR LIVES FOR BETTER AND WORSE
![Stars Who Went from RAGS to RICHES](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/25338/1753643/WfrxqqbKi1720090574755/STARS-WHO-WENT-FROM-RAGS-TO-RICHES.jpg)
Stars Who Went from RAGS to RICHES
THESE FAMED PERFORMERS RAISED THEMSELVES UP FROM NOTHING
![GOLDIE HAWN FEARS FOR HER SAFETY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/25338/1744770/OvP9-mHD01719398424239/GOLDIE-HAWN-FEARS-FOR-HER-SAFETY.jpg)
GOLDIE HAWN FEARS FOR HER SAFETY
Goldie Hawn and her longtime partner, Kurt Russell, are falling out of love - with Los Angeles.