It was Bryant who was depicted in the 1998 movie "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" When he died of a drug overdose in 1968, just past his 25th birthday, he left behind a marital history worthy of a man several times his age. Lymon, known for being the lead vocalist of the world-wide popular rock group Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers, died less than a year later on Feb. 27, 1968, at age 25 in New York City, reportedly of a heroin overdose. That eventually led to singing on street corners with friends and being discovered at age 12 by George Goldner of GEE Records. Her sister's boyfriend introduced them; soon, Emira was cooking meals for Frankie and they were shopping for wedding rings. US fails miserably against Russia at the crucial UN Vote. As Water's claim went to court, Zola Taylor ex-member of the Platters, claimed that she had been sexually active with Lymon as early as the "Biggest Rock "n" Roll Show of 1956" tour. But her secretary and her booking agent both testified that they were witnesses to the wedding. That suit was suspended while Lambert determined which woman was Lymon's widow. Emira came to New York to arrange for his funeral mass and burial, and she paid the bill -- $2,000. According to Paula Span, people sometimes compared Frankie with the young Michael Jackson, who also knew how to combine innocence and knowingness. Elizabeth testified that she saw him on that visit, as she had a number of times both before and after his wedding (which Elizabeth says she knew nothing of). Borstein, Levy's attorney, says the agreements amount to standard industry contracts. Visit our Then, two months after his dishonorable discharge (for repeatedly being AWOL), he went to New York, telling Emira he wanted to see about reviving his career. "She never disputed his role in the creation and authorship of this song," her attorney says. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. 1/28/23, noon until 2pm service at Small's Mortuary. Recording costs and commissions for everyone from managers to choreographers could siphon off much of a group's earnings. Dr. William Eugene Sexton Age 88 Hephzibah, GA, GA Dr. William Eugene Sexton, 88, husband of 69 years to Martha Frances Greenway Sexton, entered into rest Wednesday, February 22, 2023. Zola had also been a teenage star. Each woman suspected he was sleeping with the other, and both apparently were correct. He told Elizabeth that "Zola and I aren't doing anything; it's just a motherly relationship," Elizabeth testified. That's why we're here today.". Eagle's New York counsel Ira Greenberg agreed that his "current inclination" was to appeal. They fought and separated continually. According to Paula Spans story, he was arrested a 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. He left no fortune, but his name was listed as one of the songwriters of Why Do Fools Fall In Love. 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 flyer advertised performances by Pearl McKinnon and the Kodaks, Earl Lewis and the Channels, the Cleveland Still Dubs, and the Impalas. That case can now proceed, their attorney says. The trial of the three wives went forward, and final briefs were due in early 1988. It was not, for long, a happy one. He had the looks; he had the voice; he had the moves. Emira refused their counter offer. Frankie had started using heroin again, and she was forced to hide the money from his occasional gigs in a hole in the wall of their apartment to prevent him from using it to buy drugs. Running time: 1 hour, 56 minutes. Parts of the above testimony and chronology of events were disputed in court. He was used and misused, and he used others also, she concluded. Owning the rights to 1950s rock and roll songs meant more in the 1980s than it did when they were hits. The court found that "the decedent and Elizabeth {Waters} have satisfied the requirements of common law marriage in the State of Pennsylvania." Both Elizabeth's and Zola's attorneys say Emira offered their clients 20 percent (for Elizabeth) and 5 percent (for Zola) of the estate. Taylor,. ("I thought royalties was a dessert," says Elizabeth.). He recorded other songs, alone and with his group the Teenagers, but none has inspired the same affection. The two surviving members of the Teenagers claim that they wrote the song with Lymon when they were all Harlem street-corner harmonizers hoping for a break. Mini Bio (1) Frankie Lymon was born on September 30, 1942 in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago, the two surviving members of the original Teenagers (Sherman Garnes, the inventive bass, and Joe Negroni were the others), say they wrote "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Zola Taylor Lymon, now 50, one of the original Platters, had flown in from Los Angeles. Frankie had a very bad year in 1966. 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. Levy had been arrested earlier in 1986 as part of the F.B.I. Best Answer. LYMON REESE OBITUARY. Morris Levy had not become a force in the music business through fear alone; he was also very clever. Set decorator Jackie Carr. Lymon was 14 years old when he began dating Zola Taylor (Berry), the lead singer of the Platters in the mid-1950s. Elizabeth Waters claimed to have married Lymon in 1964 in Virginia. He died on February 28, 1968 in New York City, New York, USA. "I'm not a person to hold a grudge. It makes him not only a good soldier, but a better individual. According to Spans reporting, Emira paid the $2,000 bill. 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. She did not know the druggie described in this trial. The Happenings' 45. Mays Mortuary, 1221 James Brown Blvd. Also Read:Antoinette Giancana Biography, Family and Movies. We played down certain things and fudged others to make it work as a film," said director Gregory . He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother, she said. 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's lawyers maintain her marriage is valid, which means that neither Zola's nor Emira's can be. Levy was the head of Roulette Records, the independent label that bought out the Gee label which originally released the record. Similarly, one of the unexamined factors in his turning to hard drugs was apparently the difficulties caused by his voice beginning to change. Zola got to be pretty friendly with the first wife. Her attorneys advised her that it might look bad for her in court if she allowed an outside organization to place a headstone on Frankies grave. 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. And Emira, if she wins, will continue her federal case against Levy, a matter growing steadily more complex. (All three women used the surname Lymon in court documents at least part of the time.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BP6P329DMKY. An employee of a furniture store in north Philadelphia, she was in South Carolina for a family funeral. Costumes Elisabetta Beraldo. Their affair continued off and on for several years. Years later, in the wainscoted courtroom where Lymon's love life was being retraced in painful detail, Elizabeth turned to the judge. He had the type of personality that would draw people, she said. 507 residents | Coed by wing | Single and double rooms. 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. He was busy preparing for an April 11 trial for extortion and conspiracy in federal court in Camden, New Jersey, stemming from an F.B.I. This legal drama was made into a movie earlier this year, named after his hit song Why fools fall in love. Frankie marrying a schoolteacher? She was 19 and sympathetic; she wanted to help him regain what he'd lost. 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. He left no fortune; when he died of a heroin overdose 20 years ago, he was broke and troubled, trying again for a comeback he never achieved. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. Neither Zola nor Elizabeth could quite figure Emira Eagle Lymon, the 48-year-old third wife from Augusta, Ga. Frankie marrying a schoolteacher? It is copyrighted in the names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy, head of Roulette Records, an independent label that bought out the Gee label, which originally released the record. Who wrote "Why Do Fools Fall in Love"? * Playing in general release throughout Southern California. She plays Lemmons second wife. The film travels back and forth in time to explore their relationship with the singer. Zola Taylor had also been a teen-aged star. Waters, who on the witness stand acknowledged a long struggle with drugs and prostitution during her tempestuous relationship with the onetime star, got the news from her attorney Monday night. The sum, he says, "might have been $1,500. Her complaint charged fraud, misappropriation and copyright infringement, among other offenses. Like the jazz and blues artists before them, the rock 'n' rollers of the '50s and '60s were often ripe for rip-offs. According to Paula Span, her sisters boyfriend introduced them, and soon after, Emira was cooking meals for Frankie and they were shopping for wedding rings. 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.". He was clean for a time when she became pregnant in 1963, and he was deeply saddend by the death of their infant daughter. Similar to the stars of today, whenever the press cites "exhaustion" it's drug related. 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. Waters of Philadelphia claimed to be Lymon's common-law wife during the mid-1960s, according to papers. Taylor, of Los Angeles, a singer with the Platters, contends she married Lymon in 1965 in Tijuana, Mexico. Why Do Fools Fall in Love With Frankie Lymon is more like it. Elizabeth Waters is currently single. 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. Zola Taylor, a former member of the teen-age doo-wop group the Platters, also said. Cheesborough. "As far as I know, he was a very nice guy. Final briefs are due next week, with a decision expected later this spring. 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.. Hell, the boy had so many needle marks on him, I thought he was a God-damned . Frankie Lymon had been on his record label for most of his career, and Levy knew much more about the singer than Emira, who had only been with him for a year. Although Emiras attorneys advised her not to talk to Paula Span until the Surrogate Court reached a decision, Anne Pomeroy of the Artist Rights Enforcement Corporation, who was working with Emiras lawyers, spoke with the reporter. Though this success was short-lived, Lymon on a personal level was apparently quite the boy who couldnt say no. When Frankie Lymon died from a heroin overdose in 1968, he was broke and trying again for a comeback that he never achieved. Rubin's 200 or so clients constituted an honor roll of early rock and roll. Although most of Rubin's cases don't wind up in court, the allegations Emira made are not unusual. And that was that, the last of the hits. The doo-wop classic (its earnings boosted by Diana Ross' 1981 version and by its use in a greeting card commercial) was recorded by Lymon's group the Teenagers. Span wrote that Frankies relationship with Zola was not entirely maternal. Privacy Policy Agreement * I agree to the Terms of use and Privacy Policy. "Some drug users, they rob, they steal, they do everything to sustain that habit." Frankie Lymon died in New York. 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. The death certificate said he died of "acute intravenous narcotism.". That don't make me a Catholic. "Knowing the facts like I know them, I feel confident there will be an appeal," McCracken predicted. McCracken said his client "has a strong religious background and beliefs, so I don't think she'll be devastated, but I know she's disappointed to say the least. This answer is: Times guidelines: a bloody beating and some genteel scenes of lovemaking. Elizabeth Waters Found 1,173 people in Florida, Georgia and 49 other states. "Remember, Frankie needed the money badly," Borstein said. Paula Span reported that neither Zola nor Elizabeth could quite figure Emira Eagle Lymon, the 48-year-old third wife from Augusta, Georgia. She met Frankie when he was 20-years-old, backstage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. He took the bus to the post from her familys home each day. When you made a deal with Ronnie, it was usually oral, a real old-school type of business person. She had a big house in the hills with a swimming pool, and she immediately took the scruffy Frankie shopping for suits and tuxedos. Copyright document.write(new Date().getFullYear()), Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. 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. In his book, Me, the Mob, and the Music, Tommy James characterized Levy as willing to strong-arm the artists signed to Roulette, and that the label was notorious for not paying its artists for their record sales. It was also Rubin who located Emira, put her in touch with an attorney, helped line up witnesses and documentation. As a been-around woman never at a loss for an insulting put-down (He dropped you like a whores panties is one example), Fox gives Fools most engaging performance. 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. It didnt last long, however. "And he was still just a kid when he started on the next wife, Elizabeth Waters," said Nava. "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" 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. Donald Ray Lymon Sep. 6, 1964 - Jan. 23, 2023 Lie in State Fri. 1/27/23, 4-8pm at Small's Mortuary. 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. At the trial, Elizabeth testified that she saw Frankie on that visit, as she had a number of times both before and after his wedding to Emira, which she said she knew nothing of. co-starring Halle Barry, Lela Rochon and Vivica A. But he will apparently have little trouble with Elizabeth Waters. A decision was reached in November, but the case would not end there. His attorney called the charges complete speculation claimed and that there was absolutely no proof of Levy's guilt. Elizabeth testified that she did not object. 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. 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