Obituary. They had been married for 4.1 years. In December 1989, the New York Supreme Court ruled that Bryant was Lymons only legal wife. The trial of the three wives went forward, and final briefs were due in early 1988. The Taylor sections are the most fun, largely because Taylor knew Lymon when he was at his performing peak and director Gregory Nava, whose last film was Selena, does an energetic job of re-creating the exuberant rock stage shows of the period. Visit Sat. She did not know the druggie described in this trial. She had a big house in the hills with a swimming pool, and she immediately took the scruffy Frankie shopping for suits and tuxedos. He left no fortune; when he died of a heroin overdose 20 years ago, he was broke and troubled, trying again for a comeback he never achieved. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Frankie had a very bad year in 1966. Ten years after his initial success, however, he was wearing an Army uniform as a private at Fort Gordon. Rodgers, who had been Roulettes top-selling artist in the 50s and early 60s with his #1 hit Honeycomb and 26 other charting singles, suffered traumatic head injuries from a blunt instrument in the beating. If the judge's ruling stands, "then we go to federal court and advise the judge that the party who commenced the action is the wrong party," says Levy's attorney in the case, Leon Bornstein. "I can't just sit here and tell the court anything different. Artists Rights helped secure a financial settlement for Richard Berry, composer of "Louie, Louie" just before the song was used in a wine cooler ad. Celebrity Biographies Frankie Lymon's relationship with Elizabeth Waters ended when Frankie Lymon died on February 28, 1968. Running time: 1 hour, 56 minutes. Frankie, bouncing at the mike, was "this adorable little boy, with this little smile, the little suit; you wanted to take him home All I remember was the girls screaming about how cute he was.". It is Frankie Lymon's only real legacy, that two minutes and 15 seconds of doo-wop. There was nothing in writing in regards to the fundraisers or purchasing the headstone, Olb said. Army discipline, I think, teaches a man how to protect himself. "Just make sure the artist or writer gets his share." And Emira, if she wins, will continue her federal case against Levy, a matter growing steadily more complex. NEW YORK The judge who last winter heard three middle-aged women testify to their heartaches with the late Frankie Lymon the doo-wop idol who cowrote and sang "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and died 20 years ago of a heroin overdose has found Elizabeth Waters, 46, of Philadelphia, to be Lymon's legal widow. In a matter that grew steadily more complex, Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago, the two surviving members of the original Teenagers, filed their own federal suit against Levy and his companies, with Emira also named as a defendant. Also Read Inside Data and Cyber Security issue in Barbados Europe plays chess with Wagner's African moves, imposes sanctions Click the "All Sizes" button above to read an article or to see the image clearly. By now, publishing rights to the song may have earned $750,000, or even more. A decision was reached in November, but the case would not end there. Pearl, who emulated Frankie Lymon with a distinctive sound all her own, sealed the deal for Robinson, and the Kodaks were signed to the Fury label. Lymon, known for being the lead vocalist of the world-wide popular rock group Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, died less than a year later on Feb. 27, 1968, at age 25 in New York City, reportedly of a heroin overdose. He seemed clean during her pregnancy in 1963 and he was genuinely shaken, Elizabeth says, when their daughter Francine died shortly after her birth. In lieu of sentencing, Frankie was allowed to undergo another rehab programAfter completing another rehab program and was inducted into the Army in December 1966. Emira Lymon, who was appointed administrator of his estate in Georgia in 1973, sued her dead husband`s record company in 1984 for $500,000 in royalties. I know its been good for me.. "He had been busted in California again for drugs." She has never remarried. The small wedding party celebrated by getting very drunk, not an uncommon state for Frankie at the time. Each woman suspected he was sleeping with the other, and both apparently were correct. As the lead vocalist for the Teenagers, Lymon (played by Larenz Tate) helped turn Why Do Fools Fall in Love into one of the biggest hits of 1956. Frankie Lymon/Wife. "He had such presence, he'd just take over a stage and wipe an audience out. ", "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" was part of the American Graffiti film soundtrack and album, a big pop hit single and album for Diana Ross in 1981, and had been used in a greeting card commercial. ", Doo-wop historian Philip Groia, author of "They All Sang on the Corner," attended one of Alan Freed's legendary rock 'n' roll shows at the Brooklyn Paramount in the spring of 1956. Royalties were underestimated or simply never paid. Editor Nancy Richardson. They were there in Surrogate Court -- the three would-be widows and their teams of lawyers and witnesses -- for 10 days this past December and January, raking over the past. Fox as three women claiming to be the legal wife of Lymon and heir to his recording royalties. He probably found out through her attorney, who Ronnie now had to deal with during the lawsuit., His dealings with Emira had all been oral. All these arguments are laid forth in voluminous briefs, memoranda and affidavits filed in Surrogate Court. Maybe it was the afterglow from her Tijuana marriage that induced Zola to trust a junkie like Frankie to take care of her financial affairs when she left to tour Japan with the Platters in December 1965. She met Frankie when he was 20-years-old, backstage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. "Kids didn't know about royalties," says Bob Hyde of Murray Hill Records. If Emira wins, she'll share the proceeds with Chuck Rubin and go after Morris Levy. Back in New Jersey, Ronnie Italiano and the UGHA had adhered to Emiras aforementioned wishes and held off on moving forward with their project to acquire and place a memorial tombstone on Frankie Lymons grave until her lawsuit was settled. Mays Mortuary, 1221 James Brown Blvd. She had insisted that he check himself into a Manhattan hospital to cure his drug habit. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP6P329DMKY. It was not, for long, a happy one. A lot of people say I knew him so long I became like him.. He was a hustler, a liar and a thief. Frankie marrying a schoolteacher? Neither Zola nor Elizabeth could quite figure Emira Eagle Lymon, the 48-year-old third wife from Augusta, Ga. Frankie marrying a schoolteacher? She turned to heroin and cocaine herself, she acknowledged on the stand, and to support her daughter from her first marriage, she became a prostitute. Frankie could fool you, he could fool me; Frankie could fool God. The sum, he said, "might have been $1,500. Emira's attorneys argue that Elizabeth and Frankie separated in mid-1965 and never lived together as man and wife thereafter, invalidating her claim to a common-law marriage. Lymon was 14 years old when he began dating Zola Taylor (Berry), the lead singer of the Platters in the mid-1950s. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. He was used and misused, and he used others also, she concluded. I know some of these characters, and some I like very muchI knew Cardinal Spellman, too. Her only marriage lasted 4.1 years. He claimed that both women thought that their agreements with Levy were fair, and that neither planned to take legal action against him if she is found to be Frankies widow. Chuck Rubin. Yes, the three women are gorgeous and talented, and it is fun to see them having at one another. Why Do Fools Fall in Love is not quite the question asked by this up-tempo, relentlessly cartoonish biopic focusing on the tangled romantic life of an early rock star. Why does the rain fall from up above? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Unfortunately, shes also involved in the films least convincing area, the jarring sections that deal with the troubles brought on by Lymons habit. Artists Rights helped secure a financial settlement for Richard Berry, composer of "Louie, Louie" (just before the song starred in a wine cooler ad), and represents several of the artists featured on the "Dirty Dancing" album. No one foresaw that the people who grew up with the music would refuse to relinquish it, repeatedly recycling it into movie sound tracks and albums, cover versions, oldies compilations and TV commercials. With black rhythm and blues releases beginning to win white audiences, music had become a ticket to glory. Its a mark of how shallow Fools is that even as gifted an actor as Tate (excellent in Menace II Society and Dead Presidents) cant turn Lymon into anything more than a cipher. She's going to call it "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?". Elizabeth Lymon said in court papers that she married Lymon on Jan. 23, 1964, in Alexandria, Va., and had his daughter, Gloria Francine, who died shortly after birth in 1965. Rochon portrayed Bryant, who married Lymon on June 30, 1967, at Beulah Grove Baptist Church near Paine College when Lymon was stationed that year at Fort Gordon. In his book, Me, the Mob, and the Music, Tommy James characterized Levy as willing to strong-arm the artists signed to Roulette, and that the label was notorious for not paying its artists for their record sales. The next month, according to Zola, she and Frankie drove to Tijuana and got married in a small chapel. Big Seven agreed to pay Elizabeth an additional $5,000 if the federal lawsuit is dismissed because the plaintiff (Emira) is not the legal widow. Set decorator Jackie Carr. Last to the altar is Eagle, the sister of one of the singers Army buddies. Friday, November 06 2020. Back in 1956, the hit song had first been credited to Frankie Lymon, Herman Santiago, and George Goldner - head of Gee Records. It was held on Saturday, September 14, at Schuetzen Park Casino in North Bergen, New Jersey. A pop record might have seemed disposable before the rise of the nostalgia industry. Fox), a prison-hardened former shoplifter and prostitute. "Some drug users, they rob, they steal, they do everything to sustain that habit." Elizabeth Waters may be entitled to an estate worth $750,000 in accumulated royalties from Lymon 1956 hit and it's more modern iterations, according to Surrogate Court Judge Marie Lambert's ruling. Emira came to New York to arrange for his funeral mass and burial, and she paid the bill -- $2,000. Lymon was discharged a year later, he'd said "I do" once more. He was an actor and composer, known for American Graffiti (1973), October Sky (1999) and The Big Fix (1978). Frankie Lymon Music - Singer Why Famous: Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, band Age: 25 (8/30/1942 - 2/27/1968) Frankie Lymon's Relationships (3) Elizabeth Waters Other - Spouse The Platters. November 2, 1988 NEW YORK -- The judge who last winter heard three middle-aged women testify to their heartaches with the late Frankie Lymon -- the doo-wop idol who cowrote and sang "Why Do Fools. Frankie's particular scam, she thinks, was getting married. Mays Mortuary, 1221 James Brown Blvd. Lymon C. Reese Lymon Clifton Reese was born in Stanley, Pike County, Arkansas, on April 27, 1917, to Samuel Wesley Reese and Nancy Elizabeth (Betty) Daniel Reese. And that led to his 1955 smash hit "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?," singing for Queen Elizabeth II at the London Palladium and performing in nightclubs and theaters worldwide. He was energetic; dynamic; charismatic. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()), Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Elizabeth Waters was not yet divorced when she married Lymon, but the marriage became lawful once her first husbands divorce was finalized. ", Like the jazz and blues artists before them, the rock and rollers of the 1950s and 1960s were often ripe for rip-offs, and royalties were underestimated or simply never paid. By the time I met Frankie, he was a record deal-needing, broke ass, scam-on-his-momma-for-a-fix druggie! During 1965, the copyright for Why Do Fools Fall In Love was changed. Why Do Fools Fall in Love With Frankie Lymon is more like it. "Remember, Frankie needed the money badly," Borstein says. Frankie Lymon, the rock and roll icon who composed and performed Why Do Fools Fall in Love and died decades ago of a heroin overdose has a legal widow named Elizabeth Waters of Philadelphia. Zola had also been a teenage star. Last in line is Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon), a demure, well-bred Southern educator. When she returned in April, the house was in foreclosure and Frankie was gone with the money. "Frankly, we do not believe that the claims set forth in the federal court case have merit," says Terrance McKnight, one of Zola's attorneys. Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation? "I'm not a person to hold a grudge. Parts of the above testimony and chronology of events were disputed in court. We played down certain things and fudged others to make it work as a film," said director Gregory . Span wrote that Frankies relationship with Zola was not entirely maternal. As a been-around woman never at a loss for an insulting put-down (He dropped you like a whores panties is one example), Fox gives Fools most engaging performance. Taylor, of Los Angeles, a singer with the Platters, contends she married Lymon in 1965 in Tijuana, Mexico. Zola Taylor Lymon. Zola testified that their affair continued off and on for several more years. probe. -- a classic bit of doo-wop doggerel with Lymon credited as coauthor -- are murky. 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