Late KISS drummer Eric Carr’s girlfriend Carrie Stevens has publicly responded to claims made by Paul Stanley regarding her actions at Carr’s funeral. She addressed the allegations in a statement shared on The Hair Metal Guru.
Stevens was responding to a specific question about Paul Stanley’s book, where he allegedly claimed she took drumsticks from Eric’s hands during the funeral service.
“That’s a complete f*cking lie. I can’t tell you how hurtful that is,” Stevens said. “First of all, you don’t take the most painful moment of my life and exploit it in your book to make money, you gazillionaire. That is wrong. And I’m going to call you out for it.”
Stevens went on to describe the emotional difficulty of attending the funeral and her interactions with the KISS members during that time.
“So, it brought back, of course, the worst memories. I mean, the hardest, one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life is walk up to Eric’s coffin,” she continued. “And I spent two days at the wake in front of his coffin in the front row with his family. Gene didn’t come. He was getting liposuction. Paul showed up briefly and do you know what I did at the time? He came to the front row, you know, to greet me and you know what I did? I went and I just sobbed into my hands so I didn’t have to look at him. I didn’t even want to look at him after the way that he treated Eric.”
Stevens emphasized her close relationship with Carr’s family and disputed Stanley’s characterization of events.
“Paul was just a little no one at Eric’s wake at Eric’s funeral. They were like they had to sit with the fans like they were not a part of the family like I was,” she said. “I was a part of the family. I rode in the limo with the family to the services and I sat in front and I was very close to Eric’s body and it was extremely difficult and disturbing. I didn’t need to be reminded of that in the book and be insulted for my place which was a place of love and loyalty and honoring him.”
Stevens clarified what she actually placed in the coffin and addressed the drumstick allegations directly.
“And I did, cuz his sister told me it was okay, I put like a little photo of us like I slipped that into his coffin. I did do that,” she explained. “But why would I take his drumsticks? Do you know how many pairs of his drumsticks like I just had and I’ve given them away like an idiot over the years. I’ve just been nice and given them to people. I only have one pair left. They’re in my safe deposit box and I’ll never part with them. But I’ve never sold, you know, his sticks. I don’t know what the f Paul was thinking like saying something.”
Stevens’ emotional response highlights the lasting impact of Eric Carr’s death on those closest to him. It also reveals the ongoing tensions within the KISS community regarding how his passing was handled.
WPDH reported that Eric Carr died on November 24, 1991, at age 41 from heart cancer. The funeral was held at St. Joseph’s Church in Middletown, NY, on November 30, 1991. KISS band members Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Bruce Kulick, and Ace Frehley attended the service.
The timing of Carr’s death was particularly tragic. Rock and Roll Garage noted that November 24, 1991 was fatal for rock’n’roll, with both Freddie Mercury and Eric Carr dying on the same day. This coincidence meant that Carr’s death was overshadowed by the massive media coverage surrounding Mercury’s passing.
Wikipedia documented that the public wake and service were opened to fans. The interment at Cedar Hill Cemetery in Newburgh, NY, remained private. This arrangement allowed fans to pay their respects while maintaining some privacy for the family during the burial.
The controversy surrounding Stevens’ allegations against Paul Stanley adds another layer to the complex history of KISS and their handling of member departures and deaths. Born Paul Charles Caravello, Carr had replaced founding member Peter Criss in 1980. He played drums with the band until his death in 1991, making his loss particularly significant for the group’s trajectory.
