Late KISS drummer Eric Carr’s girlfriend Carrie Stevens recently revealed that the band pressured Carr to resign while he was battling cancer.
Eric Carr’s girlfriend reveals what KISS did
During an interview with The Hair Metal Guru, Stevens addressed the controversial topic as he was asked directly about the band’s actions during Carr’s illness.
When asked “You had said the guys in KISS, they wanted Eric Carr to resign before he passed, right?” Stevens responded with detailed allegations about the band’s conduct.
“Yes, they did. And they pressured him incredibly while he was in the hospital having chemo,” Stevens said.
“And this is why you can imagine I was angry for a very long time.”
Stevens discussed the emotional impact this had on Carr during his treatment.
“They know it’s wrong now, but I knew it was wrong then as a young girl. I know my values were different and I didn’t have a stake in KISS business or for money or anything,” she continued.
“So like I said, you know, they were coming from a completely different place than I was. But you know when somebody is fighting for their life… I can’t imagine what it’s like to be, you know, in the hospital like with a terminal diagnosis fighting for your life and your complete identity is being taken away from you.”
Stevens also opened up on the complex relationship between Carr’s personal identity and his role in KISS.
“And you know, he’s Paul Caravello, not Eric Carr. KISS named him Eric Carr. KISS owned his identity,” she explained.
“They pretty much owned him, which was I think part of his turmoil. Cuz he was so creative and free. But they are very shrewd businessmen who knew how to protect their interests and their band and that was part of the deal.”
Despite her backlash, Stevens highlighted the opportunities KISS provided Carr.
“That being said, they gave Eric a great gift, you know, being in one of the biggest, most popular bands, commercially successful bands of all time,” she said.
“And what should be added to that is how much Eric contributed to that legacy because they were going down. They were going down until Eric joined the band, you know, and he lifted them back up again.”
