Lisa ?Left-Eye? Lopes, member of the popular 90’s R&B group TLC, would have celebrated her 40th birthday this year.
It seems like just yesterday TLC’s Ooooooohhh… On the TLC Tip arrived on the scene, selling six million copies worldwide.
1994 saw the release of CrazySexyCool, which sold over fifteen million copies
Lopes, along with group members Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas and Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins, enjoyed huge success in the early 90’s and had many hit singles such as Ain’t 2 Proud 2 Beg, Hat 2 da Back, No Scrubs, Waterfalls, and What About Your Friends.
The album’s marketing was a huge success… riding high off of Lopes’ dramatic (and often violent) love affair with NBA footballer Andre Rison.
Lisa was dubbed the “Crazy” in “Crazy, Sexy, Cool” after she avoided jail time for torching Rison’s home.
Then for good measure, she reportedly smashed his Toyota truck and two Mercedes-Benz cars.
Re-visit the full story HERE.
TLC’s third album and final album, FanMail, was released in 1999, selling over ten million copies worldwide.
Its title was a tribute to TLC’s loyal fans and the sleeve contained the names of hundreds of them as a “thank you” to supporters but dissension within the group soon led to Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes departure.
Lopes focused on her short-lived solo career and developed several other artists while frequently traveling to Honduras, where she was in the process of setting up an educational center for local children on 80 acres of land she owned there.
On April 25, 2002, Lopes died in a car crash in Honduras. The singer attempted to swerve around a truck and lost control of the SUV she was driving, ultimately flipping the car several times and hitting several trees. She was only 30 years old when she died.
Lopes was in Honduras at that time on what she called a “30 day spiritual journey” and she planned to film each day for a documentary on her life. She ended up capturing her last days on tape.
VIDEO: Last Days of Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes
Lopes family released her video footage, which was developed into a VH1 documentary entitled “The Last Days of Left Eye”.
VIDEO: What About Your Friends ~ TLC