Raspberries Lead Singer Eric Carmen Dead at 74

Eric Carmen -- famous for being the frontman of the Raspberries, and for multiple solo hits through the '70s and '80s, including "All By Myself" -- has died ... this according to his family.

The sad news was posted to the singer's own website, with a message posted from none other than his wife, Amy. It reads, "It is with tremendous sadness that we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of Eric Carmen."

It goes on ... "Our sweet, loving and talented Eric passed away in his sleep, over the weekend. It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy."

Amy adds, "Please respect the family’s privacy as we mourn our enormous loss." No further details were shared about the circumstances of his death ... Eric had no known or reported ailments of late.

Obviously, it's a huge blow to the music industry -- as Eric was a staple in pop culture in the late 20th century. Not only was his hit 'ABM' a massive success ... but he went on to churn out several others well into the next decade ... including "Never Gonna Fall in Love Again," "She Did It," ''Hungry Eyes" (from the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack), and "Make Me Lose Control."

Other great songs of his included ... "Go All the Way," "Love Is All That Matters," "I'm Through With Love," "It Hurts Too Much," "The Way We Used to Be," "I Wanna Hear It From Your Lips" ... and many, many more.

In addition to 4 albums he put out as the lead singer of the Raspberries, Eric released 6 studio albums solo ... and he went on to become a phenomenon in the music biz. He's survived by his wife and two children. Eric was 74.