DONALD LYMON OBITUARY. "I'm not a person to hold a grudge. 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. Also a plus is the entertainment value of the films infectious classic rock soundtrack, which (besides the Teenagers hits sung by Lymon) includes songs like The Great Pretender, Try a Little Tenderness and Heat Wave., Hampering this on the negative side, besides the films awkwardness with its dark moments, is an inability to provide more than the most superficial look at anything. Her only marriage lasted 4.1 years. 1200 Observatory Drive | Madison, WI 53706-1212 | Map. He left no fortune, but his name was listed as one of the songwriters of Why Do Fools Fall In Love. In 1984, as the original copyright term of Why Do Fools Fall In Love was expiring, Emira Eagle Lymon brought suit in the U.S. District Court in New York against Morris Levy, his record label, and his publishing company. 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. 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. 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. A lot of people say I knew him so long I became like him.. 2010-02-12 00:06:12. 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. Zola, the second supposed wife, got to be pretty friendly with the first. Lymon didn't even leave a grieving widow to serve as keeper of his flame. "The only thing Morris Levy had to do with it was to collect the money," Santiago said. There was nothing in writing in regards to the fundraisers or purchasing the headstone, Olb said. After learning of this, Elizabeth went to court to request the suspension of the law. LYMON REESE OBITUARY. When asked about his association with alleged mob figures, Levy, who was Jewish, responded: "I've been on Broadway 47 years. That case can now proceed, their attorney says. Costumes Elisabetta Beraldo. 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. Smalls Mortuary - Eastern Shore. Wiki User. 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. In fact, Elizabeth says she saw him the day before he took his last, fatal dose of heroin. Her obituary was posted on February 9, 2023. She and Frankie became teenaged lovers in 1956 while they were on an Alan Freed bus tour of 81 one-nighters, each performing with their group along with an all-star cast. Frankie could fool you, he could fool me, Frankie could fool God. 507 residents | Coed by wing | Single and double rooms. Zola Taylor Lymon, who was 50, had flown in from Los Angeles. First Visitation. Army discipline, I think, teaches a man how to protect himself. So estimates Chuck Rubin, a former agent who's become a kind of musical bounty hunter. 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. Zola Taylor Lymon, now 50, one of the original Platters, had flown in from Los Angeles. Art director John Chicester. 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. He told Zola that the new house guest was "a friend from New York," Zola remembers. 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 It also dooms, at least for now, the hopes of singer Zola Mae Taylor of Los Angeles, the female member of the original Platters, and Emira Eagle, a schoolteacher from Augusta, Ga., each of whom had claimed in court that she was Lymon's widow and heir. Taylor's attorneys could not be reached for comment. Levy declined direct comment on the Lymon matter. Emira Eagle Lymon. However, it turned out she had been married to someone else at the time. ", Like the jazz and blues artists before them, the rock and rollers of the 1950s and 1960s were often ripe for rip-offs, and royalties were underestimated or simply never paid. But he will apparently have little trouble with Elizabeth Waters. Lymon signed with both 20th Century Fox Records and Columbia Records, but both deals were short-lived. Recording costs and commissions for everyone from managers to choreographers could siphon off much of a group's earnings. "She's a square," Zola decided, noticing that Emira was coming to court in sneakers. Macron wont let go off Africa so easily, he is love sick, Canadas Debt Crisis: A Never-Ending Burden Passed On From Generation to Generation, Alcohol tax in Canada: Canadian government is taking a sip out of your beer. 1, "that would draw people to him.". "Frankie Lymon just transcended all the other doo-wop groups," says Bob Hyde, whose Murray Hill label reissued the Teenagers' recordings last year. It is in fact three wives who face the camera, one after another, each claiming to be Lymons true love and legal spouse. Funeral services will be held Monday, February 27, 2023, at 3:00 PM from the chapel. Both Elizabeth's and Zola's attorneys say Emira offered their clients 20 percent (for Elizabeth) and 5 percent (for Zola) of the estate. , A thief turns to prostitution to help Lymon fund his drug addiction. If none of the women is Frankie's widow, the surviving members of his family stand to inherit. Last in line is Emira Eagle (Lela Rochon), a demure, well-bred Southern educator. Gender inclusive room options available. Check places of employment, social media profiles, work history, photos and videos, resumes and CV, arrest records, publications, public records and business records . The death certificate said he died of "acute intravenous narcotism.". 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.. She'll use a 16-piece band and her own group, Zola Taylor's Platters, as backup singers. They point to the absence of documentation from Mexico as evidence that Zola and Frankie never married at all. The Teenagers tried recording on their own, with a new lead singer. He then located Emira, put her in touch with an attorney, and helped line up witnesses and documentation. Her troubles with drugs and the law continued long after Frankie's death. That don't make me a Catholic. Also Read:Family of Lorenzo Dominic Lavalle. 05:00 PM - 08:00 PM. When she returned in April, the house was in foreclosure and Frankie was gone; she never saw him alive again. And that was that, the last of the hits. Yet just over a year later, Lymon would be found dead in his grandmothers bathroom from drug abuse. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Copy. Owning the rights to 1950s rock and roll songs meant more in the 1980s than it did when they were hits. Last to the altar is Eagle, the sister of one of the singers Army buddies. 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. 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. and never miss an insightful take by the TFIGlobal team, This website uses cookies. She attempted to recover all the royalties from the date of the records release because she alleged that neither Levy nor his predecessor as co-writer, George Goldner who discovered and recorded the Teenagers, was actually a songwriter. During 1965, the copyright for Why Do Fools Fall In Love was changed. Emira refused their counter offer. Elizabeth, 43, of Philadelphia, claims she married Lymon in Alexandria, Va., in 1964, and that the couple had a child who died. "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. "They wanted to impress their friends in school" by being on the radio. 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. The court found that "the decedent and Elizabeth {Waters} have satisfied the requirements of common law marriage in the State of Pennsylvania." "She did not know the druggie described in this trial She knew a soldier.". Elizabeth Waters claimed to have married Lymon in 1964 in Virginia. He probably found out through her attorney, who Ronnie now had to deal with during the lawsuit., His dealings with Emira had all been oral. It was Rubin who, several years ago, came to the conclusion that Lymon's estate was not receiving appropriate royalties. 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. And it was not uncommon for someone -- an agent, producer or record label head -- to name himself cowriter of a group's songs, entitling him to half the author's publishing royalties. View contact information: phones, addresses, emails and networks. 1/28/23, noon until 2pm service at Small's Mortuary. It teaches him responsibility and how to stand on his own two feet. What was there about Frankie Lymon? I feel sorry for him, most of all," echoed Zola. It spent months on the pop charts, led to national tours and TV appearances and bubble-gum cards with the Teenagers' picture on them. 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 had been busted in California again for drugs. When Frankie Lymon died from a heroin overdose in 1968, he was broke and trying again for a comeback that he never achieved. Next comes the feisty Elizabeth Waters (Vivica A. 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. Emira refused. Zola had also been a teenage star. For his part, Rubin's not opposed to generating new income from old music. But Anne Pomeroy of the Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. (which has played a major role in the Lymon case, and about which more later) spoke with Emira at length. He moved into her home and her bedroom. In December 1989, the New York Supreme Court ruled that Bryant was Lymons only legal wife. 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 . According to Bill Olb, the idea was suggested to Ronnie by Pearl McKinnon, who had recently left the reunited Teenagers. 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. A memorial service. The essence of their dispute was which of the marriages was legally binding, given a certain laxity in some quarters about divorce. The flyer advertised performances by Pearl McKinnon and the Kodaks, Earl Lewis and the Channels, the Cleveland Still Dubs, and the Impalas. He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother, she said. Neither Zola nor Elizabeth could quite figure Emira Eagle Lymon, the 48-year-old third wife from Augusta, Ga. Frankie marrying a schoolteacher? The Associated Press AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Funeral services have been held for the widow of '50s rock star Frankie Lymon. Fox), a prison-hardened former shoplifter and prostitute. According to Span, Rubin was not opposed to generating new income from old music. Why Do Fools Fall In Love was a prime example, and its publishing rights may have earned a lot of money by 1984, according to Chuck Rubin of Artists Rights Enforcement Corp. Rubin established his organization in 1981 to represent artists who he believed had been deprived of their earnings by their record companies. Yes, the three women are gorgeous and talented, and it is fun to see them having at one another. When she left to tour Japan with the Platters in December 1965, she says, she left Frankie living in her hillside house with instructions to pay the bills out of an allowance forwarded by her attorney. At the age of 13 little Lymon and his group of singers Teens signed a recording contract. Lymon's managers tried packaging him as a solo crooner in a cravat. probe. They fought and separated continually. 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. Span wrote that back in Los Angeles, the club where Zola was performing tossed a celebration with a cake and champagne. -- a classic bit of doo-wop doggerel with Lymon credited as coauthor -- are murky. A Rhino Films Production. Waters Residence Hall is centrally located in the heart of campus along the shore of Lake Mendota. When you made a deal with Ronnie, it was usually oral, a real old-school type of business person. Best Answer. That's why we're here today.". 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. 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. Borstein also said 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. He once told a magazine interviewer that he'd been a pimp since he was 10. "He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother," Elizabeth explained during the trial. I loved him like a brother.". "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" ELIZABETH OGLE WATERS OBITUARY. When trading Miss Thing"-type insults doesnt clear the air, a lawsuit to determine the identity of the true widow and heir to Lymons royalties becomes inevitable. I know its been good for me.. 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 origins of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Elizabeths lawyers, on the other hand, maintained her marriage was valid, which meant that neither Zolas nor Emiras could have been. 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. Mini Bio (1) Frankie Lymon was born on September 30, 1942 in Harlem, New York City, New York, USA. 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. And if he put others through hell too, well, didn't he say, right in that song, that love is a losing game? Her adversary, Morris Levy, was a powerful force in the music business. Her singing group, the Platters, was sometimes referred to as the Four Platters and a Dish; Zola, in her low-cut gowns, was the dish. Elizabeth Lymon says she married Lymon on Jan. 23, 1964, in Alexandria, Va., and bore him a daughter the following year. Paula Span reported that Frankie and Elizabeth got married in Alexandria, Virginia, in early 1964. It was modified to just Lymon and Goldner on subsquent recordings for the next decade before Goldner's name was replaced by Levy's. Emiras case was just beginning when Elizabeth Waters Lymon petitioned the Surrogate Court claiming that she was Frankie Lymons widow, and Zola Taylor also objected claiming that she was Lymons rightful widow. I cant just sit here and tell the court anything different. 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.. The names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy were now listed as the songwriters. And it stalls or kills a federal lawsuit Eagle had brought to reclaim control of the publishing rights to his song. 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. She was 19 and sympathetic; she wanted to help him regain what he'd lost. He was energetic; dynamic; charismatic. Borstein, Levy's attorney, says the charges are "complete speculation; there's absolutely no proof.". They wanted to impress their friends in school by being on the radio. "Some drug users, they rob, they steal, they do everything to sustain that habit." "He was honest, completely honest," Elizabeth insisted, "Up to a point." Years later, in the wainscoted courtroom where Lymon's love life was being retraced in painful detail, Elizabeth turned to the judge. Span wrote that Frankies relationship with Zola was not entirely maternal. 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