Carpenter seeks new partner

Richard Carpenter, of the Carpenters, says he is ready to make a comeback.

All he needs is a partner.

Carpenter, who with his sister Karen was one the most successful pop acts of the 1970s, announced on his 62nd birthday Wednesday in Tokyo that he is planning to get back into the music business.

He said he will help to produce and perform on a tribute album of Carpenter covers due out late next year, then on a Christmas album and finally a solo collection of largely original material. He said he still prefers singing duets and is looking for a female vocalist partner.

The Carpenters’ phenomenal rise to the top of the pop world, with such hits as “Close to You” and “Yesterday Once More,” came to an abrupt end in 1983, when Karen died of a heart attack at age 32 following complications from an eating disorder.