A Who’s Who of Disordered Eating: Princess Diana

 

How about a princess?

As this week of eating disorder awareness ends, we have been reflecting on a number of celebrities who have battled disordered eating and image issues. Actors, actresses, and singers have been discussed.

But what about a princess?

Many of us grow up inundated with fairytale dreams, with “happily ever after,” with the romantic, beautiful promise of a handsome prince and an exquisite princess.

Enter, then, Princess Diana, once known as Lady Diana Spencer. 

From the humble start of this young woman, meeting and marrying into royalty, many of us were transfixed by the splendor, by the fairytale. The Royal Wedding of 1981 had the pageantry and spectacle brought front and center, complete with Diana’s wedding dress, which was overwhelming, and many a female’s dream dress, including yours truly (my own wedding dress was a nod to hers).

Yet there was darkness in the middle of that fairytale image we all wanted to buy. Young Diana, experienced enormous stress, pressure, and personal issues too difficult to handle, let alone, as a princess-to-be under the world’s magnifying glass. She engaged in eating disorders, leading up to and continuing into her supposedly fairytale marriage.

We all know now there was no perfect fairytale going on, as pain, infidelity, and eventual divorce resulted from the fairytale story that was so heavily presented.

And before her untimely passing in 1997, Princess Diana was open about her struggles with anorexia, bulimia, and self-harm. By speaking about her experiences, she, perhaps, removed some of the stigma attached to eating disorders. After all, if even a princess could suffer from this affliction, maybe it could be viewed as less weak and pathetic for the rest of us who struggle as well.

The People’s Princess gave a highly publicized speech back in 1993. Here is that speech below:

“Ladies and Gentlemen:

 

I have it, on very good authority, that the quest for perfection our society demands can leave the individual gasping for breath at every turn.

 

This pressure inevitably extends into the way we look. And of course, many would like to believe that Eating Disorders are merely an expression of female vanity - not being able to get into a size ten dress and the consequent frustrations!

 

From the beginning of time the human race has had a deep and powerful relationship with food - if you eat you live, if you don't you die. Eating food has always been about survival, but also about caring for and nurturing the ones we love. However, with the added stresses of modern life, it has now become an expression of how we feel about ourselves and how we want others to feel about us.

 

Eating Disorders, whether it be Anorexia or Bulimia, show how an individual can turn the nourishment of the body into a painful attack on themselves and they have at their core a far deeper problem than mere vanity. And sadly, Eating Disorders are on the increase at a disturbing rate, affecting a growing number of men and women and a growing number of children.

 

Our knowledge of Eating Disorders is still in its infancy. But it seems, from those I have spoken to that the seeds of this dis-ease may lie in childhood and the self- doubts and uncertainties that accompany adolescence. From early childhood many had felt they were expected to be perfect, but didn't feel they had the right to express their true feelings to those around them - feelings of guilt, of self- revulsion and low personal esteem. Creating in them a compulsion to 'dissolve like a disprin' and disappear.

 

The illness they developed became their 'shameful friend'. By focusing their energies on controlling their bodies, they had found a 'refuge' from having to face the more painful issues at the centre of their lives. A way of 'coping', albeit destructively and pointlessly, but a way of coping with a situation they were finding unbearable. An 'expression' of how they felt about themselves and the life they were living.

 

On a recent visit to 'The Great Ormond Street Hospital for Sick Children' I met some young people who were suffering from Eating Disorders. With the help of some very dedicated staff, they and their parents, were bravely learning to face together the deeper problems, which had been expressed through their disease.

 

With time and patience and a considerable amount of specialist support, many of these young people will get well. They and their families will learn to become whole again. Sadly, for others it will all be too late. Yes, people are dying through Eating Disorders.

 

Yet all of us can help prevent the seeds of this disease developing. As parents, teachers, family and friends, we have an obligation to care for our children. To encourage and guide, to nourish and nurture and to listen with love to their needs, in ways which clearly show our children that we value them. They in their turn will then learn how to value themselves.

 

For those already suffering from Eating Disorders, how can we reach them earlier, before it’s too late?

 

Here in Britain organizations such as 'The Eating Disorders Association' are currently being swamped with enquiries and requests for support and advice, so overwhelming is the need for help.

 

Yet with greater awareness and more information these people, who are locked into a spiral of secret despair, can be reached before the dis-ease takes over their lives. The longer it is before help reaches them, the greater the demand on limited resources and the less likely it is they will fully recover.

 

I am certain the ultimate solution lies within the individual. But with the help and patient nurturing given by you the professionals, family and friends, people suffering from Eating Disorders can find a better way of coping with their lives. By learning to deal with their problems directly in a safe and supportive environment.

 

Over the next three days, this International Conference, has the opportunity to explore further the causes of Eating Disorders and to find new avenues of help for those suffering from this 'incapacitating dis - ease'.

 

I look forward to hearing about your progress and hope you are able to find the most 'beneficial' way of giving back to these people their self- esteem. To show them how to overcome their difficulties and re-direct their energies towards a healthier, happier life.”

Speech given by Diana, Princess of Wales on "Eating Disorders"

27th April 1993

We have talked about some of the “Who’s Who” of eating disorders. We have learned more about some of the rich and famous, in their struggles. Money, beauty, power, success, creativity, and, of course, fame, does not make anyone immune from the painful realities of these issues.

And, before we get too caught up in the “Who’s Who,” let’s never forget that we are just as valuable as any famous person out there. Our struggles and battles are no less important than the most famous star’s. Our suffering matters too. You matter. You deserve a life of happiness, health, love, peace, joy, and acceptance. Right now. No matter what. Despite the latest failure, starvation, or binge/purge. You matter!

You are a “Who’s Who” too!

Hey, Medical Community, Could You Please Do the Bare Minimum?

 “Hey, Medical Community, Could You Please Do the Bare Minimum?” addresses a common preventable mistake. | elephant journal

A Who’s Who of Disordered Eating: Russell Brand

Comedian/actor/author, Russell Brand has been public about his addiction struggles. 

Substance and alcohol are what frequently seems to first come to our minds when we hear the word, “addiction.”

But it’s more vast and complicated than that.

Further complicating things, has been Brand’s story, one of cross-addiction, addiction to more than one thing.

“Co-occurring conditions are common in people with eating disorders. In fact, 94% of people with these disorders also struggled with other mental health issues [2]. The most common are depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress, and substance abuse.”

Russell Brand, His Battle with Eating Disorder, and Awareness it Provides (eatingdisorderhope.com)

And yes, he has struggled with disordered eating and body image.

Why is this important to note?

“While these are separate disorders with their own unique challenges, they often feed into each other. For example, sometimes, people use eating disorder behaviors to cope with their anxiety. This may look like someone who is feeling anxious and, as a result, purges to get a sense of relief.”

Russell Brand, His Battle with Eating Disorder, and Awareness it Provides (eatingdisorderhope.com)

Russell’s life, one of struggle and addiction, provides us with evidence of deeper issues driving disordered eating. Brand also admits to being bullied and sexually abused as a child. All of those painful childhood events and traumas play into the development of an eating disorder.

It doesn’t just show up, on its own, out of nowhere.

It didn’t for another famous person, like Russell Brand. It doesn’t for you and me.

The Blue Poodle

 

Possessions: what do they mean to us?

One of my earliest memories was being with my mother in this gigantic gymnasium, filled with kids. There were all kinds of games and colorful balloons, contrasting this, otherwise, austere, white space.

I have no memory of interacting with those kids or playing those games. Instead, what I remember was getting a small plastic toy from a gumball machine, this blue poodle, pictured here.

I still have this toy, decades later. It’s weathered a lot. My cat chewed its cheeks; it’s lived in four different states within the U.S.

But it revealed the connection- the dysfunctional connection- I’ve had with possessions.

Perhaps, you’ve heard this phrase…

“Love people; use things.”

Sure, no problem with mixing those two up, right?

The fancy term for this behavior, collectively, is “Object Fetishism,” subscribing more value to objects than they hold.

Think you’re so enlightened, to be beyond the grasp of a material object’s hold on you?

How do you relate to your possessions, like your car, your, house, your I-Phone?

Ooh, now we have struck a nerve, huh?

For me, I was presented with an unflattering reality concerning possessions; I related more to stuff than to human beings.

Love:

Starting with the basics, I loved my stuff.

Perhaps you’re familiar with the premise of “Love Languages.” It’s a concept that each person has a dominant “love style,” a way of expressing the sentiment, like words of affirmation and acts of service. Not surprising, “gift-giving” is the love style that fits me.

I wish I could say it had its origins in accessing the “it’s better to give than to receive” scripture I was raised on. Nope.

It had more to do with effective ways of keeping me quiet. As the tiniest of tots, I had become addicted to pacifiers. Once, on a family trip, away from home, my mother forgot mine. And, of course, I responded with understanding and reasonable acceptance.

Just kidding. I raged with unholy tot-ness, making the family trip miserable.

So, I suppose, concerning my mother, it was lesson learned. And mercenary tactics were implemented to ensure, in the future, I was “pacified.”

Therefore, to keep me quiet and well-behaved in grocery store shopping carts, or any public forum, my mother gave me some rubber toy to hold onto. I was preoccupied with it, especially if it had a cute face.

And true love was born. I was happy and entertained- and quiet- with my new true love. Mom could get stuff done; I didn’t rage and cause a scene.

Win-win, right?

Eh…

However unintentional, I wrongly “imprinted” onto those cute rubber toys. I related to them as real sources of love, a/k/a, nurturance.

As I grew, the object of my affection simply changed form. Rubber toys became dolls that became figurines. Unaddressed issues, addictions, dysfunctional behaviors and abusive dynamics certainly didn’t do much to alter my relationship with – and my dependency on- an inanimate object. If anything, it further convinced me, this was the only way I was going to get nurtured.

Since I have always gravitated toward faces, how much stronger was this bond? A sweet loving face, whether it be a toy, a doll, a stuffed animal or a reassuring figurine, conveyed a nurturing caretaker to me. The sweet expression and/or smile of that face was never taken away or replaced with a hostile scowl.

Nope, just unconditional- unchangeable- inanimate love.

What about you? Do you receive love from your possessions? Do the luxury and “status symbol” items, like cars, expensive shoes and the latest gadgets nurture you?

And it doesn’t necessarily have to be these “big ticket” items that accomplishes this. What about a favorite toy? A stuffed animal? A, seemingly, ordinary necklace? Are you deriving love from those less flamboyant items?

The “thing” is immaterial; it’s about the love feeling you believe it generates. What IS that? Why is that?

It can be a sense of being seen, heard and valued. It could mean protection. Perhaps, some of us came from abusive homes and we designated a certain teddy bear to be our bodyguard. We may have done this when we were five, yet, here we are, at thirty-five, forty-five, fifty-five and on, and still, we look for that protecting, nurturance from that object.

It is still transmitting “love,” especially when, perhaps, in human form, love was scarce, more painful and more difficult to come by.

Comfort and Companionship:

Not far removed from the quest for love, is our need for these two essentials. We want to be soothed and we don’t want to be alone.

I was an only child. Often, I was lonely.

Only children already have quite a bad rap as spoiled, selfish and yes excessively needy, a/k/a, lonely. This loneliness cliché is often the major argument used, pressuring people to have more than one kid.

“You don’t want them to be lonely, now, do you?”

Yes, there are those of us who are only children, but we’re human beings first. And no human being is immune from loneliness.

Indeed, it is an excellent teacher in self-soothing. And right here, many of us go off the rails. Imperfect humans seeking to self-soothe. What could possibly go wrong?

I had kids I played with, but I spent most of my time by myself, trying to entertain myself. And, again, the pacifying method was employed as I was given a lot of toys to keep me occupied.

Pinky was such a toy. A three-inch doll, she was all pink: pink dress, pink hair, pink skin. Hence the name.

I know, original.

I took Pinky with me everywhere. And I lost Pinky everywhere, because she was, well, three inches tall and I was five years old. And epic trauma and search efforts ensued. She went missing in couch cushions, behind the humidifier, in the car and even outside.

Yes, that outdoor harrowing search and rescue mission found her in a pile of freshly mowed lawn. The lawn mower, mercifully, did not decapitate her when it spit her out. It did, however, give her an unflattering Terminator Cyborg haircut and a scar above her left eye. But my relationship with Pinky continued until one day, it didn’t.

I don’t know how or where I lost her, but it was devastating, nonetheless. If I no longer had my companion, what shall become of me? Do I turn to other loving people to comfort me?

Eh, not so much.

I had imprinted on objects, not humans, as love sources. I obsessed with getting a replacement, instead of working through my issues. And, because it kept me preoccupied and quiet, family encouraged it.

With this subtle message, as I grew, I learned things were the pleasurable answer, not people.

Let’s face it, when you line up a possession next to breathing human being, often, it’s the human that will disappoint, betray you or cause you pain. Not the object.

What’s your “Pinky?” What possession would bring utter devastation to your world if you lost it? Why have you chosen it to be your companion? What relational need is it fulfilling?

It IS fulfilling something.

Identity:

Possessions can promise us identity; they’re aspirational. They can reflect what era we are in and where we desire to go. Here is really where the “status symbol” comes into play.

Most of go through stages as we mature. I had my Garfield stage, my purple stage, my theater mask stage. You can imagine the amount of stuff I have acquired as I moved through each of things. Each represented what caught my attention and how I could derive a sense of self from it.

Garfield inspired me to start my very own Garfield fan club at the age of eleven. My organization skills probably started budding there, as I created worksheets and word finds (yes, really) for my three club members at our weekly meetings. My purple stage came quite naturally, as I was a teenage girl and, I think, somewhere, in the Cosmos, it is written each female will, at one time or another, be obsessed with all things purple. The comedy and tragedy theater masks were next on my list as I became more involved in acting as a high school student. I had masks on everything, including hair barrettes. As a theater major in college, they even crept into my final Senior project, a performance art piece which incorporated the masks on the face of one of my characters.

What were your eras? What were the markers of individuation, of personality, of dreams and goals? We can attach power to those totems. We can believe that, by simply possessing representations of them, we will somehow will those things into being in our lives.

I did.

There’s nothing wrong with dreaming, having goals and aspirations, but we need to ask ourselves: do I have this goal or dream or does this thing have me?

And what do we do if/when that era, that hobby, that obsession has passed?

What do we keep; what do we let go of?

That needs to be a part of the identity process as well. I have had to get rid of a lot of Garfield memorabilia, for instance. I mean, really, does the person I am now need a miniature stapler with the orange cat’s likeness on it? I think I can release that already.

We learn who we once were and can move through it, beyond it, becoming another incarnation of ourselves. That, ideally, is what you and I should be up to as we view the possessions of our various eras. We can- and we need to- let things go. We won’t lose the essence of our identities, only the stuff that helped to get us there.

Meaning:

Ah, yes, the meaning of life.

Cancer should have brought it, crystal clear, to me. Now my priorities are perfectly aligned; now I have wisdom. Now I know what truly matters. I have the answers; I’ve figured it all out.

(I can hear you laughing at my declarations, by the way).

When I was first diagnosed with Breast cancer, over two years ago, I decided to make Kewpie dolls my official cancer-coping mascot. I derived the meaning of irreverence, strength, the whimsical imp characters coming to my aid, all by collecting some of these small doll representations.

Can you just stop and imagine how many Kewpies I’ve racked up since then?

Yeah.

They’re small in stature, the tallest being about three inches. They mostly decorate my office. And yes, they’re cute. Yes, they remind me of my Breast cancer experiences.

But that notorious side eye on that mischievous face is no longer serving the purpose it once did when I was first diagnosed.

Not surprisingly, I need more, and I’m not talking about more Kewpies.

No, I need the more substantial stuff of life. And here is where cliché triumphs Kewpie.

I need mindfulness and gratitude.

As my health, life and body have all changed over these past two years and counting, I have become aware of what remains and what is.

It’s easier to focus on what’s missing and what if.

That’s where need and greed get confused, as a pang to somehow, fill this unfillable big black hole of insecurity, woundedness and pain seems to be overpowering to us mere mortals. We can become possessed. We think in terms of “bigger, better deal,” “What’s next” and, of course, “More.”

Satiety?

Forget it! Just gimme gimme!

Cancer has thrown its life-altering wrench into those old patterns of thinking that promised me personal meaning.

But now, I have all too much limbo in my reality. Recurrence, things being out of my control, a death that, despite my efforts, I may not be ready for. Yeah, Kewpies cannot give meaning to that.

What has been working, as it is an ongoing, daily endeavor, is the gratitude in embracing what I do have and what is… even if it’s just for today, in this moment.

Things like…

I am still alive. I can breathe.

I have my limbs and they work.

I can think and create.

I have the love from my Kewpie-enduring husband and my Joan Jett of a cat, Glory.

I have my daily lessons and opportunities of faith.

Stopping, praying and consciously thinking about these things has given meaning to me, beyond a three-dimensional object.

Yes, I have stuff; I have possessions. And yes, some of them mean special things to me.

But there is more. There’s a letting go that is transpiring where I once would have defended to the death (or would have at least given a black eye or two), at the thought of letting go of my possessions.

Again, cancer.

And the phrase, “You never see a U-Haul attached to hearse.”

I am more mindful about what I allow in my life. That is meaning, not stuff.

What about you? When you think of your possessions, are they more in the “what I don’t have” group, chasing the “bigger, better deal?”

Or are you familiarizing yourself with “what is” and what you are already experiencing as blessings?

Spiritual teacher, Ram Dass once encouraged, as a meditative practice, focus on who and where we are, stating, “I am not my (insert whatever you like, be it possession, object or personal characteristic); I am loving awareness.”

Each of us can do this. There’s nothing we need to buy.

And maybe that has been the lesson: there is nothing to buy. Love, comfort, companionship, identity and meaning are free to roam around in, without any purchasing whatsoever.

Therefore, I wish you love, comfort, companionship, identity and meaning of the truly “loving awareness” kind!

Copyright © 2021 by Sheryle Cruse

 

A Who’s Who of Disordered Eating: Tracy Gold

 

Around the time I was going through my most intense phase of disordered eating and body image issues, Tracy Gold, the young actress from the situation comedy, “Growing Pains,” was also suffering.

Tracey, vulnerable about her public image and body aesthetics, has shared the impact of the pressure to perform. Anorexia was her attempt at a release valve from that pressure.

Filming her show further contribute to her struggle:

 “One episode featured her television father offering her food and then laughing about her weight, which at the time was 135 pounds on her 5 foot, 3 inch frame. After the taping of the episode, Gold called her producers to beg them not to air the show. However, they ignored her plea and aired the show despite her protests. She found a doctor who put her on a diet. But she couldn’t stop losing the weight, so her producers demanded that she take a break from the show to get the help she needed.”

My Story | Tracey Gold (thetraceygold.com)

Many of us have been compelled to engage in disorder, all based upon one comment. It could be vicious; it could be well-meaning. It could be a joke may at our expense, perceived by the joke teller as “harmless.” It could be punishing criticism and unrealistic expectation.

Whatever the case may be, that one comment can send us spiraling into disorder.

And this famous person, Tracey God, is not immune to that vulnerable reality.

If you, like Gold, are responding like this, you are not alone.

I'm Worth It

 

To Understand a Woman...

 

A Who’s Who of Disordered Eating: Jane Fonda

 

Beyond being an Academy Award winning actress, beyond being an aerobics pioneer, Jane Fonda was also an eating disorder sufferer.

"I was raised in the ‘50s. I was taught by my father [actor Henry Fonda] that how I looked was all that mattered, frankly," she told Harper's Bazaar. "He was a good man, and I was mad for him, but he sent messages to me that fathers should not send: Unless you look perfect, you're not going to be loved."

"I wasn't very happy from, I would say, puberty to 50? It took me a long time," she admitted.

Jane Fonda's Decades-Long Battle with Bulimia | Everyday Health; By Sharon Tanenbaum

Here, we not only have the typical perfectionism factor impacting disordered body image, but also how it affects ALL ages. It is not simply just a teenage girl’s problem.

“…poor body image is surprisingly common among women of every age — even among older women. An Austrian study published in the International Journal of Eating Disorders asked women 60 to 70 years of age how they felt about their bodies. Around 60 percent of them said they were dissatisfied with their bodies, and about 90 percent said they felt very or moderately fat…”

Jane Fonda's Decades-Long Battle with Bulimia | Everyday Health; By Sharon Tanenbaum

...And You?

 

Do What You Can... (And Rest)

 

A Who’s Who of Disordered Eating: Adam Ant

 

Adam Ant

Not all eating disorder suffers are female. And not all celebrity eating disorder sufferers are female, either.

In the 1980s, pop singer, Adam Ant rose to prominence for such hits as “Good Two Shoes” and “Puss-N-Boots.” He was famous for his pirate style, complete with his war painted face and a sexy swagger.

And he also struggled with disorder.

According to The rise and fall of Adam Ant (telegraph.co.uk), by James Lachno, Ant  developed anorexia while living at the parent's house of his young wife Carol Mills, eventually taking an overdose of medicine cabinet pills.

But there was more.

He was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder and sent to Colney Hatch mental hospital for three months: "I was totally ****** up in the head," he later said.

This brings up the issue of comorbidity. There can be more than one disorder, dysfunction, or issue existing at the same time. Many times, disordered eating emanates from or coexists with a bipolar condition.

The brain is still a large mystery. There has been discussion about “the eating disorder brain,” as well as Dopamine and Serotonin dysregulation within the mind’s pleasure centers. What came first: the disordered behavior or the dysfunctional, physiological map?

Don't Let Her Think Like This

 

Nothing To Be Sorry About

 

A Who’s Who of Disordered Eating: Paula Abdul

 

Back in the 1980s, powerhouse, Paula Abdul took the pop music world by storm. 

Initially on the entertainment scene as a dancer and choreographer, Paula became a radio and video staple with the release of her album, “Forever Your Girl.” And, for over thirty years, she has been in the public eye, singing, dancing, choreographing, and, most recently, acting as a judge on talent shows like “American Idol.”

She exudes energy, joy, and happiness.

But she has also contended with the darkness of disordered eating and body image.

Becoming more vocal about her struggles within recent years, Abdul shares her long battle, as a person in the entertainment industry, she has been susceptible to perfectionism, pressure, and narrow definitions of beauty ideals:

“Battling bulimia has been like war on my body. Me and my body have been on two separate sides. We’ve never, until recently, been on the same side.”

“I learned at a very early age I didn't fit in physically. I learned through years of rejections from auditions…. I would ask myself, “Why can’t I be tall and skinny like the other dancers?”

 

“I thought `God I’m not perfect. I’m going to disappoint people. That’s what I thought.” 

 

The Paula Abdul Bulimia Story - This Brave Womans Battle (your-bulimia-recovery.com)Again, Paula “looked” like someone who had it all together: fame, money, physical attractiveness, success. But her struggle has revealed it is just not that simple.

Another one of “the beautiful” people has struggled with disordered eating.

The Paula Abdul Bulimia Story - This Brave Womans Battle (your-bulimia-recovery.com), Shaye Boddington

A Who’s Who of Disordered Eating: Karen Carpenter

 

As we get ready to start yet another National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (February 22^nd- February 28^th, 2021), let’s take a look at some famous individuals who have struggled with disordered eating and body image.

Often, many of us can believe and focus on how our struggles are only ours, and not shared with other people.

Famous people can appear to have it all.

Not so.

The same issues that plague us, plague them.

So, let’s look at a number of “stars” who are not immune from the disordered food, weight, and body image issues “the rest of us” battle on a daily basis.

Karen Carpenter

This incredible singer from the 1970s put Anorexia on the map. 

Before Carpenter’s descent into emaciation which, unfortunately, claimed her life in the early 1980s, no one really knew or discussed eating disorders like Anorexia, Bulimia, and Binge Eating.

According to sources like Wikipedia, Karen began her disorder like many of us out there: with body dissatisfaction and a “harmless” diet.

Starting in high school, after the young singer viewed an unflattering concert photo of herself, which, to her, looked heavy, she changed her diet…

“Her eating habits also changed around this time; she would try to remove food from her plate by offering tastes to others with whom she was dining.”

Karen Carpenter - Wikipedia

From that point on, Carpenter was fixated on losing weight, avoiding food, and exercising. There was deep rooted insecurity in her own talent as a singer/musician. Add to that, public scrutiny and the newly added pressure from the fame she and her brother, Richard encountered, and an enmeshed, unhealthy mother-daughter relationship Karen had with her mother also exacerbated her condition.

As time progressed, things worsened.

“By late 1981, Carpenter was using thyroid replacement medication to increase her metabolism. She used the medication in conjunction with increased consumption of the laxatives (up to 80–90 tablets per night). She lost more weight, felt dizzy and that her heart was beating irregularly.”

Karen Carpenter - Wikipedia

Sadly, Karen died on February 4, 1983. She collapsed in her bedroom at her parents' home. When the paramedics arrived, they found her heart was beating only once every 10 seconds.

Autopsy results stated her death was caused from "emetine cardiotoxicity due to or as a consequence of anorexia nervosa".  Furthermore, Carpenter's heart failure was caused by repeated use of ipecac syrup, an over-the-counter emetic often used to induce vomiting in cases of overdosing or poisoning.

Karen’s death got the world’s attention. Even though eating disorders have existed for centuries, Carpenter was the most famous face to experience the affliction at the time. Talent, success, and money could not spare her from the demons which drove her condition.

Her legacy is not only one of a beautiful, haunting voice, but also for spotlighting an all-too-common mental illness impacting people in painful ways.

May she truly rest in peace.