Funny you should mention that. I was listening to some old Carpenters stuff last night on youtube. And reading about Karen on Wikipedia.
My pal grew up in Downey, and worked swing shift. On the way home, around midnight, he would stop at the local supermarket, from time to time, and see Richard Carpenter, on occasion, doing his shopping. This was after Karen died; Richard would put on a brave face, when recognized, but mostly, he was a forlorn figure, according to my friend. Too bad.