Goodbye to Left Eye

TLC Member Dies in Crash

By Charlotte Robinson
Published: May 18th, 2002 | 10:20am

Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes of the Atlanta-based R&B trio TLC died April 25 in a car crash while vacationing in Honduras. She was 30.

One of the most popular female groups of the '90s, TLC released three albums, Ooooooohhh . . . On the TLC Tip (1992), CrazySexyCool (1994), and Fan Mail (1998), and had recently been working on tracks for a new album to be released this summer. The trio was known for its strong image, safe sex messages, and pro-female anthems such as "No Scrubs" and "Unpretty."

Lopes, originally a native of Philadelphia, brought a hip-hop element to the group's sound, most notably writing and performing the distinctive rap on the group's signature hit, "Waterfalls." She also earned a reputation as a volatile personality after setting fire to her boyfriend Andre Rison's mansion after a fight in 1994.

Lopes completed a solo album called Supernova that has not been released commercially and was planning a project for rap mogul Suge Knight's label Tha Row at the time of her death.