Watch Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

Karen Carpenter grew up in New Haven,Connecticut with her older brother, Richard, and her parents. The family moved to Downey, California when Karen was 13. Karen was a chunky teenager who was passionate about playing the drums. She also had a sweet alto singing voice that would take her and Richard to stardom.
Celebrity is about being beautiful and shapely. Karen would do anything to be thin. She was offended that the press called her chubby. The award winning singer limited her intake of food and took laxatives to keep her trim. Her yo-yo dieting led to heart problems.