American singer and Raspberries frontman Eric Carmen dies aged 74

American singer and Raspberries frontman Eric Carmen, who was best known for hits such as All By Myself and Hungry Eyes, has died aged 74. 

In a statement on his website his wife Amy said he passed away in his sleep on the weekend. 

"It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen," she said. 

She asked for the public to respect the family's privacy as they mourn the "enormous loss".

The statement ended with lyrics from a song from his 1977 album Boats Against The Current: "Love Is All That Matters…Faithful and Forever".

He was a founding member of The Raspberries which formed in 1970 and went on to release hit songs Go All the Way and I Wanna Be With You.

Carmen started his solo career when the band broke up in 1975.

He went on to release All By Myself which sold over 1 million copies and Never Gonna Fall In Love Again which peaked at 11 on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 1984 he co-wrote Almost Paradise for the film Footloose alongside Dean Pitchford.

Three years later his performance of Hungry Eyes, written by John DeNicola and Franke Previte, featured in Dirty Dancing.

In 2000, he toured with Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band.

He released his first new recording in more than 15 years in 2013, a track called Brand New Year.