TLC is the one of the most successful girl groups of all-time, beating out legends likeThe Supremes.
Lopes made her mark on the world even though she died far too young.
She lives on in her music and legacy, and continues to be remembered by her fans.
Even though she’s no longer with us, there’s still a lot about her to learn.
Here are the things we learned about Lisa ‘Left Eye’ Lopes after her death.
“When we lived with my dad, he was a drill sergeant for real.
Her father also handed out some steep punishments.
You sit in your room and think.”
Lopes also says he was also abusive to her mother.
But the fire didn’t have to grow to the intensity that it did.
That really could’ve been settled differently."
Watkins' observation is confirmed in “The Last Days of Left Eye.”
She said, “I didn’t realize what I was doing.
I didn’t mean for the house to burn down.”
I carved ‘I love Dre.'"
She also said why she did it, and admitted, “I was in need of some attention.
I was a little hurt, a little angry.
I was serving time in the diversion center, and… he wasn’t really coming to visit….
I was frustrated.”
She also clarified that knew what she was doing, and that it wasn’t a suicide attempt.
She continued, “I wasn’t trying to kill myself.
I wasn’t going to die.
I wasn’t afraid.
I knew I was going to cut myself and there was going to be some blood.”
After she was released, she again cut herself, and carved over the word ‘love.’
Gesturing to her arm, she said, “It said ‘love’ first and then ‘hate.’
Because she spoke her mind all of the time, people misjudged her.
Celebrities in the public eye are often the subject of gossip, and Lopes was no exception.
So because she spoke her mind, all of the time, it caused people to misjudge her.”
Lopes was keenly aware that people had formed negative opinions about her, too.
I pretty much just want to set the record straight."
She really put thought into things."
They ate strict diets and drank herbal drinks, and would often vomit because the tinctures tasted so foul.
They eventually broke their diets, gleefully stocking up on chips and other items at a local grocery store.
But she still was haunted by the experience, and it affected her deeply and profoundly.
Producer Jermaine Dupri reflected about it, tellingMTV News, “Somebody paged me.
I was hoping it was a rumor, because you heard stuff about Lisa before.
I was praying to God that it was something like that again.”
Producer Dallas Austin also has his doubts.
[I was thinking,] ‘Are they playing, are they serious?
Maybe that’s why the music is playing so loud downstairs.’
Then I called Rozonda, [and] she was like, ‘Yeah.’
Sadly, Lopes had indeed passed away.
News, lyrics from the TLC mega-hit “Waterfalls” were engraved on her casket.
They said as much in an interview on ABC Primetime, responding in unison.
Never, ever, ever, ever.
More than 15 years later, the duo have upheld this, refusing to add a permanent replacement.
But some of that has been held up by permission constraints.
In spite of those constraints, Watkins and Thomas continue to keep Lopes’ legacy alive.
