Brian “Brizz” Gillis, one of the founders of ’90s boy band LFO, died Wednesday, sources close to the singer confirmed diversity. He was 47.
LFO member Brad Fischetti was the first official source to comment on the death in an Instagram tribute post.
“Every story is made up of chapters. Some evolve naturally. Some things you have to cut up in your mind. The first two chapters of the LFO story lost a main character yesterday. Brian “Brizz” Gillis has passed away. I have no details and it would not be my job to share them if I did. I’m really struggling to process this tragic loss. I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it; The LFO story is a tragedy. If you know what I’ve done, you know I’m trying to shed some light on the darkness. Trying to find release from pain and suffering. Trying to honor the legacy.”
He continues, “My relationship with Brian was complex. It contained moments of great sadness, but also great joy. I learned a lot from him about the music business and how to put a show together and rock it. And it’s on those positive aspects of our relationship that I will draw on now and forever.”
Gillis formed the group with the late Rich Cronin in Massachusetts in 1995 and joined forces with Fischetti in Orlando in 1996, where they were signed to Lou Pearlman’s Transcontinental Records. The trio had modest success in Europe and the US in 1997 and 1998.
The group’s pop-rap single “Summer Girls” became their biggest hit and was often referred to as “The Abercrombie & Fitch” song due to the popularity of the song’s lyrics “I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch”. The song helped propel her 1999 album LFO — which also included the hit single “Girl on TV” — to No. 21 on the Billboard 200.
The trio toured in the years that followed, opening for Britney Spears as their debut continued to climb the charts. Gillis left the band in the late ’90s to pursue his own career and was replaced by Boston-area singer Devin Lima. After the addition of Lima, LFO was signed to Ariana Records by Clive Davis. They released their second album Life Is Good in 2001, but broke up the following year.
LFO eventually reunited (minus Gillis) but broke up after Cronin died of a stroke in 2010 after a battle with leukemia. Fischetti and Lima reunited as a duo in 2017 before Lima died a year later. Founding member Fischetti continues to tour and perform, carrying on the group’s legacy.
“I’m going out of that phase and losing it — it’s like losing it all over again,” Fischetti said diversity the nostalgic Pop2000 tour. “It’s an unfortunate honor to cherish the LFO legacy, and sometimes I think, ‘There’s too much pain. This LFO story is a tragedy. Put it down bro – there’s too much heartbreak.’ But I believe in making something good out of something bad, and fans want that. They thank me for keeping Rich and Devin’s memories alive, so it’s my mission to keep them and the legacy of LFO alive honor and bring people back to a simpler time.”
Source : variety.com