Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer who was part of the duo the Carpenters, formed with her brother Richard. She was praised for her three-octave contralto vocal range, which made her one of the most celebrated vocalists of her generation. Throughout the 1970s, the Carpenters became one of the best-selling music artists of all time with a soft rock sound that dominated the charts. Carpenter's struggle with and subsequent death from complications of anorexia nervosa at age 32 raised public awareness of eating disorders.