The American entertainer rose to prominence with the power pop group the Raspberries before establishing himself as a solo performer.
One of his biggest solo singles, Hungry Eyes, was used in the 1987 cult film classic Dirty Dancing.
"Our sweet, loving, and talented Eric passed away in his sleep over the weekend," Carmen's wife Amy wrote in a statement on his official website.
"It brought him great joy to know, that for decades, his music touched so many and will be his lasting legacy."
She concluded her speech with the sentence "love is all that matters... faithful and forever" from his 1977 solo album Boats Against the Current.
The Ohio-born singer co-founded the Raspberries in the early 1970s with Jim Bonfanti and Wally Bryson, and was later joined by Dave Smalley after John Aleksic left.
They published their debut album Raspberries in 1972, with chart-topping songs such as Go All The Way