RICH CRONIN OF LFO PASSES AWAY

[JumpinJack AJ]

Last night I got the awful news that Rich Cronin of LFO passed away. He had a stroke in his hometown of Boston. While only met Rich once, I've been in touch with him since 2005 and he is truly an amazing person. In fact just 4 days ago we talked online. Right now I can't really put more into words other than Rest In Peace, brother.

[VIsqo]

Wow, I didnt know this.. RIP

[Silver Tiger]

RIP. How old was he? He seems pretty young to have a stroke.

[JumpinJack AJ]

Here's his story since LFO's hayday of packing arenas, selling 4 millions records and topping music charts. J Records neglected their 2nd album. They pumped out the 1st single "Every Other Time" which did well and then they let it sit. No more videos and all the pushed out later on was the single for "Life Is Good." They had problems with the label and decided to take a hiatus. They all did individual things on an independent level (solo albums, TV shows, record labels, writing for other artists). In 2005 Rich's health was acting crazy so he went back to Boston where his family lives and they forced him to go to the hospital. There he found out he had cancer. During that time he started the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation to gain money to search for a cure. Anyways, when he was out of the hospital he continued to work on music for his solo project and his Hip-Hop group Loose Cannons. After a bone marrow treatment he beat the cancer. At that point he did the VH1 Show Mission Man Band with Bryan from Color Me Badd, Jeff from 98 Degrees, and Chris from NSYNC. Like most of the VH1's music-related reality shows, their songs never got released (but u can hear them on the Sureshot Myspace page). Apparently the cancer came back 2 or 3 more times and he beat it every time. However, that meds that he was on during the treatment caused a stroke. This made it hard for him to get around. Infact when LFO reunited last year, he would rest on the tour bus most of the day while Brad and Devin did interviews and promotion for the tour. His leg suffered most from the stroke. His appearance also changed due to all the treatments he had. If u look at a picture of him from 1996-2005 and compare it to pix of him from 2006 and especially 2009, u'd have no idea it was the same person. Anyways, more recently he was in the hospital working on restoring that leg but began having kidney problems. Just 10 days before he passed he texted Brad and told him how the staff and fans were visiting him in the hospital asking about LFO and they even started talking about doing more shows. Brad figured getting him out on the road again would be the best thing for him since that's what he loved most after God and his family. I heard from someone in his camp that he was essentially in the coma at the start of last week while at the hospital and Wednesday he passed away with a stroke involved. Brad and Devin said they knew something was up when he didn't get back to them last week.

When an artist you really identify with passes away it's always rough. You know them on some level thru' their music. Rich's passing effects me in a different way. Rich and I have talked online many times over the past 5 years. We'd talk about his music, Hip-Hop, life, etc. When I met him last year while he was on the road, he instantly knew who I was without me introducing myself as someone he'd been talking to for so many years. I know alot people would give him or LFO flack for making huge pop records and silly lyrics in songs like "Summergirls" but he had so much more in his music that people don't know about. He was one of the hardest working people I know and due to his health holding him back so much, he was never able to shine again the way he wanted to. I found out recently that last year he thought he'd never do a real tour again and that the LFO tour last year was a dream come true for him even tho' a few nights the other members actually had to help him get on stage just to get the show started. So many of these health issues of his are just coming out from people in his camp. To sit back and know all of that just really inspired me. He was such a fighter and he never complained or let people know about any of his health setbacks after he 1st announced getting cancer. When we'd talk about music and our passion for things in life he'd say things like (and I'm paraphrasing here) "We just have to keep fighting for our dreams...otherwise we are just crazy." In the midst of all that suffering, he spent time reaching out and encouraging others. While I'm very sad about his passing, I'm more inspired about life than I have been in a long time.

I'm sure his passing will spark interest in alot of people. They'll find music and lyrics from his popular LFO stuff, his independent stuff and his Loose Cannons stuff. It'll show them the funny person he was, the down to earth guy he was, and the hopeless romantic he was. And as they read his story (which will take A LOT of digging to find all the details), they'll see the survivor he was.

Rest In Peace, brother.

p.s. Those of u who are my friends on Facebook (who are probably annoyed about how much stuff I post all the time...lol) can see alot of funny videos of him that I've recently posted.

[JumpinJack AJ]

Oh, I never answered your question. He was only 36.

[bigted]

Rest In Peace

[JumpinJack AJ]

Here's an article from MTV.com.

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Rich Cronin's Former LFO Bandmates Continue Their Music Careers
Brad Fischetti and Devin Lima have both stayed in the business since band split up in 2002.

By Gil Kaufman

After his band's spotlight faded, LFO singer Rich Cronin, who passed away Wednesday, spent his time writing songs for other singers and appearing on VH1's 2007 reality show "Mission: Man Band," in which he tried to revive his career alongside some other boy band veterans.

But what became of Cronin's fellow Lyte Funky Ones? A day after Cronin died at the age of 35, former LFO member Brad Fischetti spoke to spoke to Entertainment Weekly.

"He was one of the funniest people on the planet," said Fischetti, who was hoping to mount a tour with Cronin and third member Devin Lima later this year as a follow-up to a successful set of reunion shows in 2009. "Nobody could tell a story like Rich. He used to say, 'Never let a few facts get in the way of a good story.' "

Fischetti recalled the day in 2005 when he found out Cronin had leukemia, and how the "Summer Girls" singer/songwriter thought he'd never be able to perform again. "None of us thought we'd ever be on the stage again as LFO," said Fischetti. "He fought hard, man. He beat leukemia twice. And beat a stroke. He was a fighter."

Fischetti has kept a low profile since LFO split up in 2002, preferring to remain behind the scenes and nurture new talent through his label 111 Records. He did record a solo album, Sari, in 2007; at the time he described its sound as a mix of Coldplay, David Bowie, Pink Floyd and Radiohead. 111 has released albums by former LFO bassist Dan Walters, Kiernan McMullan, the Spill Canvas, Canon, Inkwell, the Windupdeads and Rookie of the Year.

Fischetti said the reunion tour last summer reminded him of the special bond the trio had during their late-'90s peak. Cronin was weakened by chemotherapy, a stem-cell transplant and a stroke that left him with such severe leg pain that Fischetti and Lima had to help the singer get dressed before shows and carry him on stage. But the tour was still a highlight.

"He was so happy," Fischetti said. "We really became soul mates. Devin and I both realized how much we loved him, despite the differences we had in the past. In New York City at the Highline Ballroom, he thanked the crowd at the end of the show. I'll always have that voice in my mind, because it was such a sincere thank you. Really, that's the memory that's sticking out in my brain."

Lima released his first solo track in 2006, a cover of the Sly & the Family Stone song "If You Want Me To Stay" for the tribute album Different Strokes by Different Folks. Though it caused some head-scratching at the time, it led to him performing in a tribute to Stone on the 2006 Grammy Awards alongside Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith, Maroon 5, Joss Stone, John Legend and will.i.am.

Lima released Mozart Popart, his first album with his band Cadbury Diesel, in 2008. The disc helped push Lima past the bubblegum tunes of his past, thanks to the rock and roll feel of songs like "Hangin' With You" and the soulful R&B tune "Me Veda."

Fischetti and Lima are currently collaborating on a new hip-hop project called The Xiles. They released a Christmas EP last year and revealed in December that they'd already begun recording their debut album, American Genie: Volume 1.

[JumpinJack AJ]

This is an obituary style article from Nolan.com (or something like that).

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NEW YORK (AP) - Rich Cronin, whose band LFO sang the breezy summer hit "Summer Girls" that name-checked Abercrombie & Fitch, has died after struggling with health setbacks including leukemia and a stroke. He was 36.

Cronin - who co-wrote "Summer Girls," LFO's biggest hit - died in a Boston hospital Wednesday, former bandmate Brad Fischetti said.

"Last summer, when we did our reunion tour, he was certainly having health problems, but he was cancer-free at that time," Fischetti said Thursday. "I don't think it was cancer that took him yesterday, but certainly it all started with cancer."

His manager, Melissa Holland, said he died of complications from the leukemia.

"Rich was an incredible fighter, and every opportunity when his health was in good condition, he was living his life to the fullest, especially in music," she said. "He just always seemed to bounce back, and this time, it got the best of him."

Fischetti said he last exchanged text messages with Cronin about 10 days ago, when his bandmate went into the hospital. He recalls Cronin telling him about how people were asking for his autograph and talking to him about "Summer Girls."

"He said, 'Listen man, people still care about us,'" he remembered.

Despite its sophomoric lyrics - "New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits, Chinese food makes me sick" - "Summer Girls" was an instant favorite with teens and got heavy rotation on MTV. It's also known as the "Abercrombie & Fitch" song because its chorus celebrates women who wear the retailer's clothes.

LFO came to prominence around the same time as the Backstreet Boys and 'N Sync, when boy bands were exploding on the pop scene. LFO - an acronym for Lyte Funky Ones - consisted of Cronin, Fischetti and Lima.

The group mixed singing and rapping with a distinct pop feel; Cronin rapped on "Summer Girls," which was top five hit in 1999. Its self-titled debut album, which also included the hit "Girl on TV," sold more than a million copies.

But the group would not have the same impact on the charts as their more popular peers, then faded from the limelight and disbanded.

Cronin put out a solo album, and in 2007 starred in the VH1 reality series "Mission: Man Band," in which former members of boy bands came together to form a new group.

"He actually filmed that almost immediately after coming out of the hospital for the (stem cell) transplant," Holland said.

Sometime after that, LFO decided to attempt a reunion. Last year, it went on tour despite Cronin's weakened condition.

"He was having trouble walking. ... We let him have the whole back of the bus so he could rest all day long while Devin and I did press and sound check, and then we would get him up from the show. A couple of times we had to help him get onto the stage because he was having trouble walking," Fischetti said.

However, Cronin was happy to be on tour again. "I don't think he ever thought he'd be able to play another show. ... It was emotional, seeing him up on that stage," Fischetti said.

The last time he saw Cronin was summer 2009, during the reunion tour. He had sent him a text message a few days ago, suggesting they perform some shows around Christmas, but he didn't respond.

"I was pretty surprised, because usually Rich would reply to something really quick," Fischetti said. "I said to Devin, 'Something doesn't feel right.'"

Cronin wasn't married and didn't have children, but Fischetti said survivors include his parents, a brother and a sister.

[JumpinJack AJ]

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[Ale]

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