Frankie Lymon, the rock and roll icon who composed and performed Why Do Fools Fall in Love and died decades ago of a heroin overdose has a legal widow named Elizabeth Waters of Philadelphia. By the time Waters connected with Lymon, he had become a junkie, and she ended up ruining herself trying to pay for his drugs. Span wrote that Frankie was a soldier for most of his brief marriage to Emira. Rubin gets his share, too: Emira testified in Surrogate Court that her arrangement called for any money recovered through her suit to be shared 50-50 with Rubin, after expenses and legal fees, which have already reached a substantial subtotal. For part of Lymons appeal to women was how uncommonly young he was; the singers first hit came before he was 14, younger than most romantic leads can play. Her only marriage lasted 4.1 years. co-starring Halle Barry, Lela Rochon and Vivica A. "Even though she had said no, she had said yes in the beginning; so Ronnie went ahead without going back and contacting Emira again. When a star-struck group like the Teenagers finally got to audition for a doo-wop impresario, such matters as copyright barely figured in the conversation. Frankie Lymon died in New York. 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. Morris Levy had not become a force in the music business through fear alone; he was also very clever. ", 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. Copy. Zola and Elizabeth declined, but say they were willing to accept an equal, three-way split. Wiki User. 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. 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. The opinion by Surrogate Court Judge Marie Lambert entitles Waters to an estate that may be worth $750,000 in accumulated royalties from Lymon's 1956 hit and its more recent incarnations. I feel sorry for him, most of all," echoes Zola. He can't remember what Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers sounded like that day -- the girls' shrieks all but drowned them out -- but he recalls the excitement. It was painfully revealed in court testimony, however, that Frankie Lymon, for all his talent, was a bigamist, hustler, liar, and thief. Years later, in the wainscoted courtroom where Lymon's love life was being retraced in painful detail, Elizabeth turned to the judge. DAPHNE, AL 36526. 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. It is Frankie Lymon's only real legacy, that two minutes and 15 seconds of doo-wop. I know some of these characters, and some I like very muchI knew Cardinal Spellman, too. A pop record seemed disposable then, before the rise of the nostalgia industry. "Sell, sell, sell," he advises. LYMON REESE OBITUARY. Zola Taylor Lymon. Donald Ray Lymon Sep. 6, 1964 - Jan. 23, 2023 Lie in State Fri. 1/27/23, 4-8pm at Small's Mortuary. There was nothing in writing in regards to the fundraisers or purchasing the headstone, Olb said. It teaches him responsibility and how to stand on his own two feet. First Visitation. He figured that once the case was over there would be no problem," Olb recalled. Your email address will not be published. Fox as three women claiming to be the legal wife of Lymon and heir to his recording royalties. "And he was still just a kid when he started on the next wife, Elizabeth Waters," said Nava. Instead, he has posthumously provoked a trial that will determine which of the three women he is said to have married -- without ever scrupling to divorce any of them -- is really his widow and heir. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. "Frankly, we do not believe that the claims set forth in the federal court case have merit," says Terrance McKnight, one of Zola's attorneys. At her insistence he checked into a Manhattan hospital to cure his drug habit, and maybe he succeeded for a time. 2010-02-12 00:06:12. He got on that stage, and baby he was huge! She testified that she and Frankie had started living together shortly after they met. Borstein, Levy's attorney, says the agreements amount to standard industry contracts. A Rhino Films Production. Army discipline, I think, teaches a man how to protect himself. Elizabeth Lymon said in court papers that she married Lymon on Jan. 23, 1964, in Alexandria, Va., and had his daughter, Gloria Francine, who died shortly after birth in 1965. Editor Nancy Richardson. He told his family that night he was on his way to a gig. Though this success was short-lived, Lymon on a personal level was apparently quite the boy who couldnt say no. View our. Waters bore Lymon's only known child, a daughter who died shortly after birth. Frankie Lymon Music - Singer Why Famous: Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers, band Age: 25 (8/30/1942 - 2/27/1968) Frankie Lymon's Relationships (3) Elizabeth Waters Other - Spouse Here are 10 you cant miss, Review: A reimagined Secret Garden fails to flower anew at the Ahmanson Theatre, Moroccan singer convicted of rape in Paris, gets 6-year term, Jonas Brothers promise Broadway residency will be a walk down musics memory lane, Toxic sex, social anxiety, 90s guitars: How L.A.s Blondshell pulled off the rock debut of 2023, Rihanna making the FCC work, work, work, after Super Bowl viewers file 103 complaints, Brad Paisley drops new song featuring President Zelensky to mark one year of Ukraine war. 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. I loved him like a brother.". Unfortunately, shes also involved in the films least convincing area, the jarring sections that deal with the troubles brought on by Lymons habit. A headstone was not part of the package, however, and Frankie Lymon was buried in an unmarked grave at St. Raymonds Cemetery. Royalties were underestimated or simply never paid. Rubin's 200 or so clients constituted an honor roll of early rock and roll. 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. He moved into her home and her bedroom. We played down certain things and fudged others to make it work as a film," said director Gregory . Click the "All Sizes" button above to read an article or to see the image clearly. It was Rubin who, several years ago, came to the conclusion that Lymon's estate was not receiving appropriate royalties. She did not object when he decided to head for California in 1965. So the trial went forward. 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. She says she's never recovered financially from the loss of her home and still feels "cheated," yet she also talks about Lymon's ruptured family, and, again, his drug dependency. 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. Army discipline, I think, teaches a man how to protect himself. "The only thing Morris Levy had to do with it was to collect the money," Santiago said. "She was so taken with the idea of being once and for all declared the real Mrs. Frankie Lymon." Recording costs and commissions for everyone from managers to choreographers could siphon off much of a groups earnings. And that was that, the last of the hits. 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. Elizabeth, 43, of Philadelphia, claims she married Lymon in Alexandria, Va., in 1964, and that the couple had a child who died. 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. ", 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. The following month, Zola testified that she and Frankie drove to Tijuana and got married in a tiny chapel. Did Ukraine use innocent civilians as human shield against Russia in the name of evacuation? 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. She claimed to have . The names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy were now listed as the songwriters. "Frankie had a very good appetite for the best of life," she says. But "I couldn't get my hands on him, couldn't find him." Frankie marrying a schoolteacher? Sound Veda Campell. The trial of the three wives went forward, and final briefs were due in early 1988. Elizabeth went on to testify that she also saw Frankie the day before he took his last, fatal dose of heroin. 1/28/23, noon until 2pm service at Small's Mortuary. When she and Frankie fought about it, Elizabeth said in court, he pulled a gun on her and she fled. 22, 2021. She knew a soldier., Frankie was interviewed by The Augusta Chronicle while he was stationed at Ft. Gordon. 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. Chuck Rubin. Zola Taylor, a former member of the teen-age doo-wop group the Platters, also said. 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. Elizabeth may have had the hardest time of it. The essence of their dispute was which of the marriages was legally binding, given a certain laxity in some quarters about divorce. The signs were plain, she says now, that Lymon was floundering, working only intermittently, addicted to drugs and probably to alcohol as well. Costumes Elisabetta Beraldo. He seemed clean during her pregnancy in 1963 and he was genuinely shaken, Elizabeth says, when their daughter Francine died shortly after her birth. Zola testified that their affair continued off and on for several more years. "I'd have killed him, I was so angry," she says. Paula Span revealed that if Elizabeth or Zola was found to be his widow, they agreed to share the proceeds of his estate equally. "The only thing {Morris Levy} had to do with it was to collect the money," Santiago says. Privacy Policy Agreement * I agree to the Terms of use and Privacy Policy. He was a soldier for most of their brief marriage, taking the bus from her family's home to the post each day. Unfortunately for Zola, she was unable to locate records documenting her Mexican wedding to Frankie, or documentation of her Mexican divorce from her previous marriage (her second). Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. "Knowing the facts like I know them, I feel confident there will be an appeal," McCracken predicted. A memorial service. Kenneth Turan is the former film critic for the Los Angeles Times. Emira Eagle Lymon. "I'm not going to wear mink coats with {you} in jeans," she announced. In December 1989, the New York Supreme Court ruled that Bryant was Lymons only legal wife. The origins of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" 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.". With black rhythm and blues releases beginning to win white audiences, music had become a ticket to glory. Others still do, however. 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. Elizabeth, now 46, said she had been born again, but she still strove for glamor, her skirt fashionably above the knee, her fingernails long and orange. Borstein also says that Lymon, who was always pestering Levy for money, sold Levy the copyright to all his songs and that Levy has a signed document to that effect. Her complaint charges fraud, misappropriation and copyright infringement, among other offenses. I caught Frankie at a good time in his life. 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?" 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. I often tell people that Frankie didnt end up living a glorified life. Elizabeth 'Mickey' Waters : You see, y'all gotta understand. Artists Rights helped secure a financial settlement for Richard Berry, composer of "Louie, Louie" (just before the song starred in a wine cooler ad), and represents several of the artists featured on the "Dirty Dancing" album. Zola and Elizabeth declined, but said they were willing to accept an equal, three-way split. But Elizabeth's attorneys argue that she and Frankie lived in Philadelphia and therefore established a common-law marriage under Pennsylvania law. During the trial, the judge even raised the disquieting possibility that none of his three supposed marriages was legally contracted, that Lymon has no widow. Recording costs and commissions for everyone from managers to choreographers could siphon off much of a group's earnings. Borstein, Levy's attorney, says the charges are "complete speculation; there's absolutely no proof.". Zola got to be pretty friendly with the first wife. 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. They fought and separated continually. Ronnie had raised a large amount of money from the benefit concerts and donations, but he had been in limbo because of the legal battle, recalled Bill Olb. He didn't mind. She called the work "moonlighting" and testified that she was arrested for it 15 or 20 times. Zola, the second supposed wife, got to be pretty friendly with the first. The elephant in the room was the large sum of money that would be awarded to whoever was determined to be the songwriters of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love. It was copyrighted in the names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy. Required fields are marked *. Paula Span reported that neither Zola nor Elizabeth could quite figure Emira Eagle Lymon, the 48-year-old third wife from Augusta, Georgia. He had the looks; he had the voice; he had the moves. 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