In the 1990s, R&B trio TLC was one of the biggest acts in the music industry. The group created music that not only made people dance but also made them think, with messages of social responsibility, body positivity, and safe sex. The group's members, Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins, Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas were the perfect combination of crazy, sexy and cool, blending their unique voices and personalities to form a hit-making, GRAMMY-winning trio.
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Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who was best known for the memorable verses she rapped on practically every TLC track, was both talented and troubled. She made just as much news with her turbulent on-again-off-again relationship with NFL wide receiver Andre Rison as she did with her music. But the singer-rapper's life was tragically cut short while on a retreat in Honduras just before her 31st birthday.
This is the story of Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes.
Born in Philly
Lisa Lopes was born on May 27, 1971, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The oldest of three children, her father, Ronald Lopes Sr., was a US Army staff sergeant and her mother, Wanda, was a seamstress. She grew up with a love for music, playing the keyboard and singing with her siblings in church and around their community. When she was 19 years old, Lopes left home for Atlanta, and her life would never be the same again.
Making the Band
After making the move to Atlanta, Lopes was discovered by singer Perri "Pebbles" Reid, who worked for LaFace Records and managed R&B groups. Looking to put together an all-female group, Reid joined Lopes with Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins and Rozonda "Chilli" Thomas and in 1991, TLC was signed to LaFace. The band's name was taken from the first letters of the group member's names.
In many ways, Lopes was a driving creative force behind TLC. She received songwriting credits for several of their biggest hits, including "Ain't Too Proud to Beg" and "No Scrubs." She also helped define the group's style, designing many of the outfits the ladies wore for public appearances and video shoots.
Oooooooh...On The TLC Tip
In 1992, TLC released their first album on LaFace Records, "Oooooooh...On The TLC Tip." The group quickly captured the industry's attention with their colorful baggy clothing and their willingness to talk openly about sexuality in their music.
The album had three tracks that cracked the Billboard Hot 100's top 10, "Baby-Baby-Baby," "What About Your Friends" and "Ain't Too Proud to Beg." TLC won over fans who loved the way they kept it real.
"I don’t think we were necessarily trying so hard — we were truly being ourselves, and we fought hard to be that. Especially being young ladies, and not wanting to wear the typical outfits that girls would wear, like tight dresses. There’s nothing wrong with that look, but it wasn’t what we felt comfortable in," Chilli told Billboard in a 2017 interview.
CrazySexyCool
In 1994, TLC released their second album, "CrazySexyCool." The album had several hits, including "Creep," and "Waterfalls," which hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Selling 11 million copies in the United States, "CrazySexyCool" made TLC the best-selling all-girl group in American history and earned the group two GRAMMY awards.
Falling in Love
While TLC's popularity was growing, Lopes had a new love in her life, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Andre Rison. The two met in 1993 at Atlanta's famed Club 112 and their connection was instant.
"She came by the house and literally never left," Rison told Lifetime in an interview.
A Rocky Relationship
Although Lisa Lopes and Andre Rison would tell anyone who would listen how much they loved each other, their relationship was rocky. The pair was known to have public disputes that often got physical, including a 1993 incident in a Kroger parking lot after the pair left an Atlanta nightclub. According to the Greensboro News & Record, Rison was arrested and charged with aggravated assault for hitting Lopes and then shooting at men who tried to step in and diffuse the situation. Rison's family was growing tired of Lopes and all of the negativity surrounding their high-profile relationship.
"I was not happy. I really did not think the relationship should continue," Rison's mother told Lifetime. "There was a lot of aggression, a lot of anger. I was afraid of things happening."
Burning Down the House
Rison and Lopes made headlines again in June 1994, when the singer set fire to Rison's Georgia mansion after the two had a disagreement. The fire started when Lopes burned pairs of Rison's sneakers in the bathtub and the flames spread to the rest of the home.
Lopes was charged with first-degree arson and criminal damage to property. She was sentenced to five years probation, court-mandated therapy at a halfway house and ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
An Unspeakable Connection
Andre Rison may have been Lisa Lopes' boyfriend, but there was another person who had her heart – rapper Tupac. Although those close to Lopes say the two kept their relationship platonic, it was well-known that the two were very close.
"I think she was in love with the spiritual side of him, that connection that was unspeakable," Lopes' sister Reigndrop told Lifetime in an interview.
Hard Times
Despite selling millions of records, TLC hit financial hard times. Less than a year after the release of "CrazySexyCool." the group filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July 1995. Most of their debt was the result of having to reimburse the record label for upfront costs of video shoots and recording sessions.
In an interview, Lopes broke down how most of their money went out the door as soon as they earned it.
"In the record business, we pay all costs back to the record company," she said. "You're left with $300,000. I can buy a nice house with that, and what am I going to pay my bills with?"
Breaking Up
TLC released their third album, "FanMail" in 1999, which included their hits "No Scrubs" and "Unpretty." But while the group won a Best R&B Album GRAMMY for the project, they found themselves having creative differences, which led them to take a break to pursue other projects.
A Solo Mission
In January 2002, Lopes signed a solo deal with Death Row Records and was prepared to record an album under the name, "N.I.N.A." (New Identity Not Applicable) working with legendary artists, including David Bowie and Missy Elliot. Her time away from TLC didn't last long. Lopes was also working on a fourth album with TLC.
The Last Days of Left Eye
For Lopes, Honduras was where she often sought refuge from the pressures of the entertainment industry. She was also filming a documentary about the Garifuna, people with African roots who live along the Caribbean coast of Central America.
But her last trip to the country had a tragic ending. On April 25, 2002, Lopes died when the car she was driving plunged into a ravine as she was forced to swerve to avoid oncoming traffic, according to The New York Times. Although there were seven other passengers in the car with her at the time, including her brother and sister, Lopes was the only person to suffer fatal injuries. She was 30 years old.
A Lasting Legacy
Since Lopes's passing, her loved ones have done everything they can to keep her memory alive. The 2007 documentary "The Last Days of Left Eye" lets fans see and hear Lopes during the last days of her life. Her surviving family members also started the Lisa Lopes Foundation, and organization dedicated to helping families in need.
As for TLC, surviving members Chilli and T-Boz have never replaced Left-Eye and continue to perform as a duo. They never released the album the trio was working on before Lopes' passing, instead Chilli and T-Boz recorded and released their fifth and final album, "TLC," in 2017.
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