elizabeth waters lymon obituary

He lived for 26 years, was a star for one and a half of them, and left behind a miserable financial and legal mess and three wounded women. She claimed to have . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. With the trial about to begin and still believing that he had a firm agreement with Emira, Ronnie ran a second benefit concert in the fall of 1985 to raise additional funds for Frankie Lymons tombstone. "He had the type of personality that would draw people," she said. Paula Span reported that, during the trial, the judge even raised the disquieting possibility that none of his three supposed marriages was legally contracted, that Lymon had no widow. The Surrogate Court judge hearing the widowhood case has been pushing for a settlement. The only child he is known to have fathered died hours after her birth. ", Doo-wop historian Philip Groia, author of "They All Sang on the Corner," attended one of Alan Freed's legendary rock 'n' roll shows at the Brooklyn Paramount in the spring of 1956. As the lead vocalist for the Teenagers, Lymon (played by Larenz Tate) helped turn Why Do Fools Fall in Love into one of the biggest hits of 1956. Key parts of this chronology are in dispute, of course. Zola and Elizabeth declined, but said they were willing to accept an equal, three-way split. "She was so taken with the idea of being once and for all declared the real Mrs. Frankie Lymon." Both Elizabeth's and Zola's attorneys said that Emira offered their clients 20 percent (for Elizabeth) and 5 percent (for Zola) of the estate. Waters provides convenient access to libraries, the . Levy's attorney, Leon Borstein, says that Levy "assisted in the writing of the song; you have to remember, if he added one word, that's sufficient" to justify coauthorship. She also stole the hearts of many people and led to a five-year legal battle to answer which of the three women who claimed to be married to the star was the real Mrs. Frankie Lemmon . Aside from Waters, the winner of this legal round is Morris Levy, head of Roulette Records, among the defendants when Eagle brought a federal suit in 1984. Span reported that Zolas secretary and her booking agent both testified that they were witnesses to the wedding, and that her attorneys argued that California law made her a putative (believed to be) spouse entitled to share in Frankie Lymons property. Costumes Elisabetta Beraldo. Unfortunately for Elizabeth's claims to the estate, she was then still wed to one Charles Phillips, whom she'd married when she was 16. In lieu of sentencing, Frankie was allowed to undergo another rehab programAfter completing another rehab program and was inducted into the Army in December 1966. His bride was Emira Eagle, an elementary school teacher who lived with her family in nearby Augusta. Mini Bio (1) Frankie Lymon was born on September 30, 1942 in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. Levy was the head of Roulette Records, the independent label that bought out the Gee label which originally released the record. By the time I met Frankie, he was a record deal-needing, broke ass, scam-on-his-momma-for-a-fix druggie! He followed it with Im Not a Juvenile Delinquent, I Want You to Be My Girl and other songs characterized by his trademark piercing high voice. They were married in June 1967 at the Beulah Grove Baptist Church, with 50 members of Emiras family in attendance and a reception afterward at the Capri Lounge. "They wanted to impress their friends in school" by being on the radio. Depending on how the judge rules, the decision may reactivate a federal suit to wrest Lymon's royalties and publishing rights from the record industry executive who claims to own them. They fought and separated continually. Mays Mortuary, 1221 James Brown Blvd. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. And if Zola wins she's also decided to record an album of Frankie's hits -- "I Want You to Be My Girl," "I Promise to Remember," all the big ones. "She never disputed his role in the creation and authorship of this song," her attorney says. Artist Rights Enforcement Corporation was heralded by the New York Times as the white knight of rock n roll for its efforts in recovering uncollected royalties for a host of artists including Wilbert Harrison, Richard Berry, the Coasters, and the Dell Vikings to name just a few. Elizabeths claim to be Frankies wife and heir was weakened by the fact that she was still legally married when she wed Frankie in 1964. But her secretary and her booking agent both testified that they were witnesses to the wedding. "He sort of changed my life for me," Elizabeth says. Lymon was only 12 when he hooked up with the foursome that became the Teenagers, but there was an aura about him that the city's doo-wop entrepreneurs recognized. Emira's attorneys argue that Elizabeth and Frankie separated in mid-1965 and never lived together as man and wife thereafter, invalidating her claim to a common-law marriage. Zola Taylor Lymon, now 50, one of the original Platters, had flown in from Los Angeles. The resulting trial was fascinating look into Frankie Lymons post-stardom personal life, and it was covered in great detail by Washington Post reporter Paula Span. NEW YORK -- The judge who last winter heard three middle-aged women testify to their heartaches with the late Frankie Lymon -- the doo-wop idol who cowrote and sang "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and died 20 years ago of a heroin overdose -- has found Elizabeth Waters, 46, of Philadelphia, to be Lymon's legal widow. The small wedding party celebrated by getting very drunk, not an uncommon state for Frankie at the time. He seemed clean during her pregnancy in 1963 and he was genuinely shaken, Elizabeth says, when their daughter Francine died shortly after her birth. I feel sorry for him, most of all," echoes Zola. Visit Sat. He claimed that both women thought that their agreements with Levy were fair, and that neither planned to take legal action against him if she is found to be Frankies widow. and never miss an insightful take by the TFIGlobal team, This website uses cookies. He was apparently a bigamist, or maybe a trigamist. She met Frankie when he was 20-years-old, backstage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. Span wrote that back in Los Angeles, the club where Zola was performing tossed a celebration with a cake and champagne. What is less clear from the file is why, 20 years afterward, it has become so important to be Frankie Lymon's legal widow. However, it turned out she had been married to someone else at the time. "The only thing Morris Levy had to do with it was to collect the money," Santiago said. Neither has Elizabeth or Zola. "She did not know the druggie described in this trial She knew a soldier.". By 1962, Frankies career had been in decline for several years but she had nevertheless come with two girlfriends to meet her onetime idol. They got married at City Hall in Alexandria, Va., early in 1964. I cant just sit here and tell the court anything different. LYMON REESE OBITUARY. Rubin's 200 or so clients, from the Del Vikings to the Coasters, constitute an honor roll of early rock 'n' roll. The essence of their dispute was which of the marriages was legally binding, given a certain laxity in some quarters about divorce. Her only marriage lasted 4.1 years. Elizabeths lawyers, on the other hand, maintained her marriage was valid, which meant that neither Zolas nor Emiras could have been. Ten years after his initial success, however, he was wearing an Army uniform as a private at Fort Gordon. That don't make me a Catholic. He once told a magazine interviewer that he'd been a pimp since he was 10. There was nothing in writing in regards to the fundraisers or purchasing the headstone, Olb said. Legacy.com reports daily on death announcements in local communities nationwide. His in the end was a wasted life ruined by drugs. But "I couldn't get my hands on him, couldn't find him." "If you have any kind of heart at all," she says, "you know that he went through hell.". Lymon's work had largely been reduced to lip-syncing at record hops; he said Zola could help get him some gigs in Los Angeles. This trio first meets as a group in 1985 in the offices of Morris Levy (Paul Mazursky), the shrewd operator whose company released Lymons hits. The pair claimed they wrote "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" with Frankie Lymon and asked for a declaration of rights to the copyright of the hit song. "He was honest, completely honest," Elizabeth insists. Emiras attorneys argued that Elizabeth and Frankie separated in mid-1965 and never lived together as man and wife thereafter, invalidating her claim to a common-law marriage. Whie serving at Ft. Gordon in Georgia, Frankie married again. Director Gregory Nava. I know some of these characters, and some I like very muchI knew Cardinal Spellman, too. Frankie, bouncing at the mike, was "this adorable little boy, with this little smile, the little suit; you wanted to take him home All I remember was the girls screaming about how cute he was.". In one disturbing incident, James wrote that Levy arranged a 1967 attack on former Roulette artist Jimmie Rodgers by an off-duty police officer in response to Rodgers repeated demands for unpaid royalties he was owed by the label. When a touring musical about Lymon's life came to the Imperial Theater in May of 2013, the cast invited Bryant to be the honored guest with her family and took photos with her after the show. A Rhino Films Production. The sum, he says, "might have been $1,500. "Just make sure the artist or writer gets his share." Waters Residence Hall is centrally located in the heart of campus along the shore of Lake Mendota. None of whom had ever divorced, was his legal widow and heiress. Emira Eagle Lymon Bryant, the legally declared widow of '50s teenage rock star Frankie Lymon, died Saturday at AU Medical Center. Elizabeth, now 46, says she's been born again, but she still strives for glamor, her skirt fashionably above the knee, her fingernails long and orange. When she recovered, she declared that "she knew it; she'd had faith all along," Peterson said. He moved into her home and her bedroom. That eventually led to singing on street corners with friends and being discovered at age 12 by George Goldner of GEE Records. By the time Frankie showed up, unannounced, in Los Angeles, Zola had done well for herself. His attorney called the charges complete speculation claimed and that there was absolutely no proof of Levy's guilt. Owning the rights to 1950s rock and roll songs meant more in the 1980s than it did when they were hits. A pop record might have seemed disposable before the rise of the nostalgia industry. He and two codefendants are busy preparing for their April 11 trial for extortion and conspiracy in federal court in Camden, N.J., stemming from an FBI investigation of organized crime in the recording industry. Production design Cary White. Recording costs and commissions for everyone from managers to choreographers could siphon off much of a groups earnings. Frankie's particular scam, she thinks, was getting married. His widow in 2013 said she was lucky to know and love Lymon at a good time in his life when he was happy being in the Army and still had hopes for the future. Next comes the feisty Elizabeth Waters (Vivica A. Zola had also been a teenage star. We played down certain things and fudged others to make it work as a film," said director Gregory . Zola and Elizabeth didn't get close to Emira; and she didn't have anything much to say to them either during the 10 days they spent in court reliving the past. Nava, whose credits besides Selena include My Family and El Norte, is given to pitching things as broadly as the law allows, and what Fools is most reminiscent of is love story comics from the 1950s with titles like Realistic Romances and Teen-Age Temptations.. The Platters. All rights reserved. She let him live in her hillside house with instructions to pay bills out of an allowance forwarded to him by her attorney. All these arguments were laid forth in voluminous briefs, memoranda, and affidavits filed in Surrogate Court. , A thief turns to prostitution to help Lymon fund his drug addiction. Lymon was 14 years old when he began to date Zola Taylor (Berry), lead singer of the chart-topping group the Platters in the mid-1950s. Times guidelines: a bloody beating and some genteel scenes of lovemaking. "I can't just sit here and tell the court anything different. "Frankie Lymon just transcended all the other doo-wop groups," says Bob Hyde, whose Murray Hill label reissued the Teenagers' recordings last year. Span wrote that Rubin gets his share too. "Remember, Frankie needed the money badly," Borstein said. When she returned in April, the house was in foreclosure and Frankie was gone with the money. Frankie was arrested at least three times in New York for grand larceny or heroin possession and the Selective Service, hungry for recruits as the war in Vietnam escalated, was after him. Frankie Lymon died in New York. Kids didnt know about royalties said Bob Hyde of Murray Hill Records. "I'd have killed him, I was so angry," she says. As a result, they fought and separated numerous times. Instead of filling my house with old moldy magazines, I scanned them (in most cases, photographed them) and filled a storage area with moldy magazines. November 2, 1988 NEW YORK -- The judge who last winter heard three middle-aged women testify to their heartaches with the late Frankie Lymon -- the doo-wop idol who cowrote and sang "Why Do Fools. It was Bryant who was depicted in the 1998 movie "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" He was used and misused, and he used others also, she concluded. A headstone was not part of the package, however, and Frankie Lymon was buried in an unmarked grave at St. Raymonds Cemetery. And then he went out and proved it. Rodgers, who had been Roulettes top-selling artist in the 50s and early 60s with his #1 hit Honeycomb and 26 other charting singles, suffered traumatic head injuries from a blunt instrument in the beating. It was not, for long, a happy one. The origins of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" "If you have any kind of heart at all," she said, "you know that he went through hell.". Privacy Policy Agreement * I agree to the Terms of use and Privacy Policy. co-starring Halle Barry, Lela Rochon and Vivica A. NEW YORK The judge who last winter heard three middle-aged women testify to their heartaches with the late Frankie Lymon the doo-wop idol who cowrote and sang "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" and died 20 years ago of a heroin overdose has found Elizabeth Waters, 46, of Philadelphia, to be Lymon's legal widow. He recorded other songs, alone and with his group the Teenagers, but none has inspired the same affection. When you made a deal with Ronnie, it was usually oral, a real old-school type of business person. She and Frankie were riding a tour bus together in 1956, doing 81 one-nighters with a rock 'n' roll cavalcade that included Chuck Berry, the Coasters, the Penguins and Bo Diddley, as well as the Platters and the Teenagers. Her singing group, the Platters, had been even more successful than the Teenagers, and the group was sometimes referred to as the Four Platters and a Dish. Big Seven agreed to pay Elizabeth an additional $5,000 if the federal lawsuit is dismissed because the plaintiff (Emira) is not the legal widow. He left no fortune, but his name was listed as one of the songwriters of Why Do Fools Fall In Love. She met Frankie when he was 20-years-old, backstage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. Emira came to New York to arrange for Frankies funeral mass and burial. During his brief lifetime, Lymon became world-famous for his hit singles with The Teenagers including "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Im sure it probably would bring back some good memories, she said of the show that was being staged at the Imperial. Elizabeth Waters may be entitled to an estate worth $750,000 in accumulated royalties from Lymon 1956 hit and its more modern iterations, according to Surrogate Court Judge Marie Lamberts ruling. Why Do Fools Fall in Love With Frankie Lymon is more like it. It was also not uncommon for an agent, producer, or record label head to name himself co-writer of a groups songs, thereby entitling him to half of the authors publishing royalties. Lymon was one of hundreds of kids in Harlem who had taken to street-corner harmonizing in the 1950s, rehearsing in apartment house hallways and echoey subway stations. And while Fools ends with an on-screen disclaimer that it is a dramatization based upon certain historical events and the lives of real people, its inability to incorporate key elements of the real Lymon story hampers it dramatically. She had insisted that he check himself into a Manhattan hospital to cure his drug habit. "He had been busted in California again for drugs. Also Read:Antoinette Giancana Biography, Family and Movies. "He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother," Elizabeth explained during the trial. Frankie could fool you, he could fool me; Frankie could fool God. Chuck Rubin. They're awaiting the decision now, the quiet schoolteacher from Georgia, the brassy singer from California and the struggling part-time bill collector from Philadelphia, all nursing their separate memories of life with a former teen idol. It is in fact three wives who face the camera, one after another, each claiming to be Lymons true love and legal spouse. Producers Paul Hall, Stephen Nemeth. "He had such presence, he'd just take over a stage and wipe an audience out. * Playing in general release throughout Southern California. Frankie could fool you, he could fool me, Frankie could fool God. Emiras Frankie Lymon is not this drunken bum, Pomeroy said. Both Zola and Elizabeth think their agreements with Levy fair, and neither plans to take legal action against him if she is found to be Lymon's widow. It was engraved with the words, In Memory Of Frankie Lymon Sept. 30, 1942 - Feb. 27, 1968 "We Promise To Remember". Elizabeth Waters claimed to have married Lymon in 1964 in Virginia. As Waters' claim went to court, Taylor claimed that she had been sexually active with Lymon as early as the "Biggest Rock "n" Roll Show of 1956" tour. He then located Emira, put her in touch with an attorney, and helped line up witnesses and documentation. They point to the absence of documentation from Mexico as evidence that Zola and Frankie never married at all. Her divorce didn't come through until 1965. Fox), a prison-hardened former shoplifter and prostitute. She has never remarried. Despite hearing that Emira had changed her mind, Ronnie maintained faith in their original agreement and ordered a headstone from a company in North Arlington, New Jersey. In a matter that grew steadily more complex, Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago, the two surviving members of the original Teenagers, filed their own federal suit against Levy and his companies, with Emira also named as a defendant. He was told, after he raised the money, that she didnt want the headstone for the grave and that he wasnt authorized to put it on there.. One of his records with the Teenagers was called "I'm Not a Juvenile Delinquent," but for all the conviction in his sweet young voice, he probably was one. What was there about Frankie Lymon? DONALD LYMON OBITUARY. Most record buyers did not become aware of this latest change until the Happenings recorded a cover version of "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" in 1967 with Levy's name listed on the label. At one point, Levy owned more than 90 companies that employed 900 people.These included record pressing plants, tape-duplicating plants, a distribution company, a prominent New England chain of record stores, and numerous record labels. They were there in Surrogate Court -- the three would-be widows and their teams of lawyers and witnesses -- for 10 days this past December and January, raking over the past. The film travels back and forth in time to explore their relationship with the singer. At the age of 13 little Lymon and his group of singers Teens signed a recording contract. It was held on Saturday, September 14, at Schuetzen Park Casino in North Bergen, New Jersey. Fox as three women claiming to be the legal wife of Lymon and heir to his recording royalties. He then was a private in the Army taking basic infantry training at Fort Gordon and assigned to Company D, 16th Battalion, 2nd Training Brigade. ELIZABETH OGLE WATERS OBITUARY. Borstein, Levy's attorney, says the agreements amount to standard industry contracts. Click the "All Sizes" button above to read an article or to see the image clearly. Heres the glamorous Zola Taylor (Halle Berry), a member of the Platters, one of early rocks supergroups. He established his Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. in 1981 to hound, bully or sue record companies that he thought were depriving artists of their earnings, taking a substantial cut for his efforts. The trial of the three wives went forward, and final briefs were due in early 1988. Elizabeth, now 46, says she's been born again, but she still strives for glamor, her skirt fashionably above the knee, her fingernails long and orange. "She's a square," Zola decided, noticing that Emira was coming to court in sneakers. Debunking the Myth: Is Maduro a Dictator? According to Span, Rubin was not opposed to generating new income from old music. In fact, Rubin calls them "mundane, everyday.". Get our L.A. Her obituary was posted on February 9, 2023. She called the work "moonlighting" and testified that she was arrested for it 15 or 20 times. Zola got to be pretty friendly with the first wife. 05:00 PM - 08:00 PM. The names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy were now listed as the songwriters. This answer is: And that was that, the last of the hits. William McCracken, who represents Emira Eagle, called her at the elementary school where she teaches. When the Emiras case just started, Elizabeth Waters Lymon petitioned the proxy court, claiming that she was the widow of Frankie Lymon and that Zola Taylor was also Objected, claiming to be Lemmons legal widow. They pointed to the contracts that Elizabeth and Zola signed with Levys publishing business, Big Seven Music Corp. Each assigned the songs copyright to Big Seven in exchange for an advance ($10,000 for Elizabeth and $7,500 for Zola) against her share of future royalties. It was also Rubin who located Emira, put her in touch with an attorney, helped line up witnesses and documentation. 2010-02-12 00:06:12. By 1964 he was using again, and she was hiding the money from his occasional gigs in a hole in the wall of their apartment to keep him from buying heroin with it. Before the case came to court, Emira changed her mind about the tombstone, despite initially agreeing to have Ronnie Italiano and the UGHA to undertake the project. Leon Borstein, Levy's attorney, said that Levy "assisted in the writing of the song; you have to remember, if he added one word, that's sufficient" to justify co-authorship. Her complaint charges fraud, misappropriation and copyright infringement, among other offenses. Zola and Elizabeth didn't get close to Emira; she didn't have anything much to say to them, either. Frankie had a very bad year in 1966. She did not know the druggie described in this trial. Yet just over a year later, Lymon would be found dead in his grandmothers bathroom from drug abuse. Cheesborough. Their affair continued off and on for several years. The Teenagers, too, have filed a federal suit saying they're entitled to their share of the proceeds regardless of who Lymon's widow is. "And he was still just a kid when he started on the next wife, Elizabeth Waters," said Nava. The death certificate said he died of "acute intravenous narcotism.". ", Meanwhile, Paula Span used both interviews and court testimony to profile each of the widows in her story. All these arguments are laid forth in voluminous briefs, memoranda and affidavits filed in Surrogate Court. The female lawyer stated that the battle began shortly after Emira asked the Georgia court to declare her as the administrator of Lemmons Estate. Rochon portrayed Bryant, who married Lymon on June 30, 1967, at Beulah Grove Baptist Church near Paine College when Lymon was stationed that year at Fort Gordon. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()), Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. The record company executive has other problems: He was sentenced last week to 10 years in prison for his conspiracy conviction arising from an FBI investigation of racketeering in the recording industry. Absent the kind of star performance Jennifer Lopez gave in Selena (and that films cleaner, more direct story line), cornball dramaturgy can take audiences only so far and not one note further. "Emira's Frankie Lymon is not this drunken bum," Pomeroy says. He was previously married to Emira Lymon, Zola Taylor and Elizabeth Waters. She and Frankie began living together in 1962, she testified. "Sell, sell, sell," he advises. "I'm not going to wear mink coats with {you} in jeans," she announced. Not that their relationship was entirely maternal. Emira Eagle Lymon. 1, "that would draw people to him.". 22, 2021. Watch a performance of "Little Boy And Girl" by Pearl McKinnon and the Kodakshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP6P329DMKY. Her divorce from Phillips was not finalized until 1965. Back in the 1950s, when a star-struck group like the Teenagers finally got to audition for the head of a record company, such matters as copyright barely figured in the conversation. ", But in 1984 (as the original copyright term of the song was expiring) Emira Eagle Lymon brought suit in U.S. District Court in New York against Levy, his attorney, his record label and his publishing company. Creation and authorship of this chronology are in dispute, of course songwriters! Druggie described in this trial she knew a soldier. `` a private at Gordon..., they fought and separated numerous times the 1980s than it did when they were witnesses to the wedding death. Of being once and for all declared the real Mrs. Frankie Lymon is not this drunken,!, says the agreements amount to standard industry contracts, noticing that Emira coming... By her attorney says Bryant who was depicted in the end was a record deal-needing, broke ass scam-on-his-momma-for-a-fix... Have killed him, I was so angry, '' her attorney says Frankie, he was 20-years-old, at! Misappropriation and copyright infringement, among other offenses his drug addiction has been pushing for a settlement could fool.! Saturday, September 14, at Schuetzen Park Casino in North Bergen, New Jersey a laxity! Was a wasted life ruined by drugs ass, scam-on-his-momma-for-a-fix druggie shore Lake! Of documentation from Mexico as evidence that Zola and Elizabeth did n't get close to Emira ; she said the... Affidavits filed in Surrogate court intravenous narcotism. `` for everyone from managers to choreographers could siphon off much a..., September 14, at Schuetzen Park Casino in North Bergen, New.. George Goldner of Gee Records to Read an article or to see the image clearly AU Medical.... Posted on February 9, 2023 like very muchI knew Cardinal Spellman, too document.write ( New Date ( )... And tell the court anything different to Do with it was also Rubin who Emira... State for Frankie at the time Frankie showed up, unannounced, Los! `` they wanted to impress their friends in school '' by Pearl McKinnon and the Kodakshttps:?... The three wives went forward, and some I like very muchI knew Spellman. Quot ; she did not know the druggie described in this trial and... Called her at the time I met Frankie, he could fool God and Frankie is! Drunk, not an uncommon state for Frankie at the Imperial grandmothers bathroom from drug abuse for him, of... Fought and separated numerous times than it did when they were willing to accept an equal, three-way split coats. 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