·  TLC formed in 1991, when Lopes was 20. The group was developed and first managed by Perri "Pebbles" Reid, an R&B star known for her hits "Girlfriend" and "Mercedes Boy" and then married to L.A. Reid.
·  The next year, the group made its debut with the multimillion-selling "Ooooooohhh ... On the TLC Tip," which spawned the hits "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" and "Baby-Baby-Baby." Lopes was the group's rapper; Watkins and Thomas handled the vocals. The group attracted attention for their looks and their wardrobe, which included floppy hats and Lopes' trademark, a pair of glasses with a condom in place of the left-eye lens.
·  In 1994, the group's second album, "CrazySexyCool," became an even bigger hit, helped by the chart-toppers "Waterfalls" and "Creep." The group's songs, written by urban-music stalwarts Dallas Austin, Babyface, Jermaine Dupri and others -- along with participation from TLC -- addressed subjects including safe sex, AIDS and black-on-black crime. "CrazySexyCool" sold at least 4 million copies and became one of the best-selling albums by an all-female group.
·  Lopes died instantly when the vehicle, which she was driving, slammed into another vehicle on a road in Honduras.
·  But TLC also had its problems. In 1994, Lopes set fire to the Atlanta-area mansion she shared with former Atlanta Falcon Andre Rison. She pleaded guilty to arson and was sentenced to a halfway house and five years' probation, as well as a $10,000 fine. Her relationship with Rison was on-and-off for years.
·  In 1995, the group declared bankruptcy. Among the reasons cited was the management deal with Pebbles Reid.
·  Lopes didn't appear at a TLC news conference late in 2000. The media reported seeing her with another boyfriend, model Sean Newman, in Chicago, New Orleans, London and Honduras.
·  Last year, Lopes and Rison were to marry, but the wedding was called off abruptly.