 artist and Gospel Music Association (GMA) Hall of Fame Member Carman died at the age of 65 on Tuesday February 16, 2021 due to a series of complications from a hiatal hernia surgery.){kind=link}
Popular 90’s Christian Contemporary Music (CCM) artist and Gospel Music Association (GMA) Hall of Fame Member Carman died at the age of 65 on Tuesday February 16, 2021 due to a series of complications from a hiatal hernia surgery.
A Facebook post from his official site yesterday said, “GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame member, CARMAN, passed away Tuesday, February 16, 2021 at a Las Vegas, Nevada hospital, after fighting a series of complications resulting from surgery to repair a hiatal hernia.”
Carman Licciardello’s Facebook account had a post three weeks ago in January requesting “URGENT!!!! We need you to stop right now and pray,” for internal bleeding, pneumonia, and failing kidneys and liver as a result from the surgery. A week earlier Carman posted a message while in the hospital on his birthday titling it ‘A Near Fatal Birthday,’ and letting his followers know that his “father died at my age and my grandparents. So that’s been playing on my mind.” It read:
A near fatal birthday. January 19th is my birthday and I remembered that I only wrote one birthday song ever, and I want to share it with you. Maybe you can use it for someone else’s birthday too. Today I’m in the hospital, I was getting a hiatal hernia removed yesterday. But it turned into a near fatal scenario. For some reason, no one knows why, my blood pressure dropped to 66/43 and and kept falling. It’s usually 135/89. I woke up from the anesthesia and saw 9 doctors and nurses standing around my bed buzzing about, deeply concerned. They worked for hours to get it going the other way. Now it’s almost 9:00. I’m waiting for blood transfusions and I’m on an intravenous drip. My father died at my age and my grandparents. So that’s been playing on my mind. But we’ve been here before and I need your help and prayers. I’m going to be here for a while so Please share this with your prayer warrior friends. Thank you once again for your fatefulness. I say it often from the stage, I don’t have fans I have intercessors and I have no doubt you keep me alive.
The two time cancer survivor released his first album in 1980 and would go on to record over twenty albums throughout the length of his career that sold over 10 million copies. Carman was nominated four times for a Grammy Award and won six GMA Dove Awards. The New Jersey born artist was known for his successful hits “The Champion,” His Name Is Wonderful,” Lazarus Come Forth,” and “Satan: Bite The Dust.”
Carman also holds the world record for the largest audience to ever see a single Christian artist and set a record with over 71,000 fans in attendance for concert at Texas Stadium in 1994.
Carmen’s manager said, “When Carman resumed touring again a few years ago, he was concerned that no one would care that he was back. He was wrong. Every night fans packed out venues and his ministry was as powerful as it ever was. This world has lost a light in the darkness but today Carman saw first hand the fruit of his labors.”
Carman was still touring in 2020, hosting free concerts at churches within the United States on his Legacy Tour, and had plans to start a 60-city tour later this month.
Read the full announcement below:
GMA Gospel Music Hall of Fame Member, CARMAN, Iconic CCM Trailblazer, Dies at Las Vegas Hospital