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Brand Name: House of Nubian
Item#/SKU: Lisa Lopes
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.
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