Lisa Lopes, TLC: the life and tragic death of a pop star

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

Lisa Lopes was not just Left Eye in TLC. She was a rapper, activist, and a restless creator. Let’s explore her short and intense life.

Born to stand out

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

Lisa Nicole Lopes (in the center of the image) was born on May 27, 1971, in Philadelphia, in a household marked by her father's military discipline.

A childhood of rules and shouting

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

Raised under a strict regime by her father, an army sergeant, Lisa (first on the left) found in music a way to express her emotions.

From Atlanta with love (and beats)

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

She moved to Atlanta in 1991 and responded to an ad to form a female group. That’s how TLC was formed, initially with the members Tionne, Lisa, and Crystal (later replaced by Chilli).

TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

With hits like 'Waterfalls' and 'No Scrubs', TLC became the most successful female group of the 90s. Despite selling millions of records, they declared bankruptcy in 1995.

Left Eye, the rapper with attitude

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

Lisa was not the lead singer of the group, but her raw raps and her eye covered with a contraceptive (yes, it's what you think it is) turned her into an icon.

Not Just TLC

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

Lisa produced, wrote, and collaborated with artists like Donell Jones and Melanie C. She also had a solo career, and her first album, 'Supernova', was a huge success even though it was not released in the USA.

Pure mysticism

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

Lisa was characterized by her deep interest in mysticism: she recorded her dreams, sketched enigmatic symbols, discussed the meaning of magical numbers and claimed to see things others couldn’t.

Her private life was not so private

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

Her most publicized relationship was with NFL player Andre Rison. Unfortunately, it was a toxic relationship marked by jealousy, violence, and misunderstood passion. In 1994, she accidentally burned down Rison's mansion during a fight.

She documented her own fate

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

In April 2002, she traveled to Honduras to shoot a documentary. During filming, she looked into the camera and said: "I feel a weird energy here." Hours later, the car she was traveling in crashed.

That was the end

Lights, shadows, and flames of a nineties legend, Born to stand out, A childhood of rules and shouting, From Atlanta with love (and beats), TLC, a golden trio with financial troubles, Left Eye, the rapper with attitude, Not Just TLC, Pure mysticism, Her private life was not so private, She documented her own fate, That was the end

She was in a van in Honduras as part of a documentary filming. The vehicle went off the road, rolled over, and Lisa died instantly. She was just 30 years old.

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