probe. 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. 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. 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. She told Span that she never recovered financially from the loss of her home and still feels "cheated." According to the obituary published Sunday in The Augusta Chronicle, funeral arrangements will be announced by W.H. 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. Emira came to New York to arrange for his funeral mass and burial, and she paid the bill -- $2,000. There was nothing in writing in regards to the fundraisers or purchasing the headstone, Olb said. She called the work "moonlighting" and testified that she was arrested for it 15 or 20 times. 1200 Observatory Drive | Madison, WI 53706-1212 | Map. Borstein, Levy's attorney, says the charges are "complete speculation; there's absolutely no proof.". "If you have any kind of heart at all," she said, "you know that he went through hell.". Zola testified that their affair continued off and on for several more years. Morris Levy had not become a force in the music business through fear alone; he was also very clever. 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. He was back in New York where, Elizabeth and several other witnesses swore, he said that his marriage to Zola had been only a publicity stunt. Visit our Fox), a prison-hardened former shoplifter and prostitute. 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. Opened 1940 | Named after Elizabeth Waters. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Please enter your username or email address to reset your password. Elizabeth Waters Found 1,173 people in Florida, Georgia and 49 other states. Levy ruled his empire with an iron hand, using both fear and intimidation as part of his business model. 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?" 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. She says he didn't mean to hurt her, and blames his behavior on his addictions. Obituary. Costumes Elisabetta Beraldo. As soon as the hearing began, Emiras attorneys alleged that the other two widows acted in concert with Morris Levy. Zola: "I perform all over the world"), she arrived at court daily in a limousine. Owning the rights to 1950s rock and roll songs meant more in the 1980s than it did when they were hits. If Elizabeth or Zola is found to be his widow, they have agreed to share the proceeds of his estate equally. Borstein, Levy's attorney, says the agreements amount to standard industry contracts. Rubin's 200 or so clients constituted an honor roll of early rock and roll. 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. Then he called Elizabeth and urged her to join him. 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. Heres the glamorous Zola Taylor (Halle Berry), a member of the Platters, one of early rocks supergroups. investigation of the infiltration of organized crime in the recording industry. Frankie had a very bad year in 1966. She also turned to prostitution to support her daughter from her first marriage, to one Charles Phillips, when she was just 16. Visit Sat. Also Read:Family of Lorenzo Dominic Lavalle. 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. Also Read:Antoinette Giancana Biography, Family and Movies. Yes, the three women are gorgeous and talented, and it is fun to see them having at one another. 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. Though other people testify in the trial, notably Little Richard playing himself and saying things like I am the originator, the emancipator, the motivator, most of Fools is told in flashback as each woman takes the stand and relates her portion of Lymons life. "She was speechless, actually unable to talk," reported the attorney, Dwight Peterson. 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). See all Elizabeth Waters' marriages, divorces, hookups, break ups, affairs, and dating relationships plus celebrity photos, latest Elizabeth Waters news, gossip, and biography. Who wrote "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. 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. "A lot of people say I knew him so long I became like him.". In December 1989, the New York Supreme Court ruled that Bryant was Lymons only legal wife. It didnt last long, however. Paula Span revealed that if Elizabeth or Zola was found to be his widow, they agreed to share the proceeds of his estate equally. Get our L.A. Hell, the boy had so many needle marks on him, I thought he was a God-damned . She did not object when he decided to head for California in 1965. ", "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" was part of the American Graffiti film soundtrack and album, a big pop hit single and album for Diana Ross in 1981, and had been used in a greeting card commercial. The Associated Press AUGUSTA, Ga. (AP) Funeral services have been held for the widow of '50s rock star Frankie Lymon. 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. 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. 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. Final briefs are due next week, with a decision expected later this spring. Though Navas soapy directing style makes Fools watchable enough in a campy way, the films unsophisticated nature undermines its better qualities. Her divorce didn't come through until 1965. "Frankie had a very good appetite for the best of life," she says. "He had the type of personality that would draw people," she said. Others still do, however. Set designers Clare Scarpulla, Michael Bernard. Frankie marrying a schoolteacher? Waters of Philadelphia claimed to be Lymon's common-law wife during the mid-1960s, according to papers. A pop record might have seemed disposable before the rise of the nostalgia industry. He was a soldier for most of their brief marriage, taking the bus from her family's home to the post each day. 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. 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. 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. In 1986, the women, who were never divorced from Lymon, filed copyright claims in federal court in New York for Lymons songs. Also Read:Uplift Suasion: the notion to change racism, Your email address will not be published. The essence of their dispute was which of the marriages was legally binding, given a certain laxity in some quarters about divorce. 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. If Emira wins, she'll share the proceeds with Chuck Rubin and go after Morris Levy. 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. 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. 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. His bride was Emira Eagle, an elementary school teacher who lived with her family in nearby Augusta. He changed the spelling of the group's name on the record label to "Kodoks" to avoid a possible lawsuit from Eastman Kodak, and released their first single, "Teenager's Dream" and . Interment: Whispering Pines Cem. Published by Legacy on Jul. It teaches him responsibility and how to stand on his own two feet. It is Frankie Lymon's only real legacy, that two minutes and 15 seconds of doo-wop. (All three women used the surname Lymon in court documents at least part of the time.) Elizabeth 'Mickey' Waters : You see, y'all gotta understand. Zola's attorneys argue that California law makes her a "putative spouse" entitled to share in Lymon's property. None of the many tracks they made together or separately ever duplicated the jubilance of their early records. As a child star, however, I was subjected to discipline from agents, managers and lawyers, but it was a discipline that protected me from myself so to speak. These scans come from my rather large magazine collection. It was Bryant who was depicted in the 1998 movie "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Elizabeth may have had the hardest time of it. After learning of this, Elizabeth went to court to request the suspension of the law. Neither Zola nor Elizabeth could quite. 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. Last to the altar is Eagle, the sister of one of the singers Army buddies. Yet she also talked about Lymon's ruptured family, and, again, his drug dependency. The Surrogate Court judge hearing the widowhood case has been pushing for a settlement. I cant just sit here and tell the court anything different. We played down certain things and fudged others to make it work as a film," said director Gregory . co-starring Halle Barry, Lela Rochon and Vivica A. 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. William McCracken, who represents Emira Eagle, called her at the elementary school where she teaches. Art director John Chicester. The small wedding party celebrated by getting very drunk, not an uncommon state for Frankie at the time. This answer is: Why Do Fools Fall in Love is not quite the question asked by this up-tempo, relentlessly cartoonish biopic focusing on the tangled romantic life of an early rock star. The losing widows might appeal. "Even though she had said no, she had said yes in the beginning; so Ronnie went ahead without going back and contacting Emira again. At the age of 13 little Lymon and his group of singers Teens signed a recording contract. "She never disputed his role in the creation and authorship of this song," her attorney says. According to Paula Span, people sometimes compared Frankie with the young Michael Jackson, who also knew how to combine innocence and knowingness. Pearl, who emulated Frankie Lymon with a distinctive sound all her own, sealed the deal for Robinson, and the Kodaks were signed to the Fury label. Director Gregory Nava. 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. Screenplay by Tina Andrews. Levys attorney responded that the agreements with Elizabeth and Zola amounted to standard industry contracts. 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. Legacy.com reports daily on death announcements in local communities nationwide. So Lymon was already a 20-year-old has-been when he met Elizabeth Waters backstage at the Audubon Ballroom. (Diana Ross also had a hit with it), "Goody Goody," "Little Bitty Pretty One" and "Im Not a Juvenile Delinquent.". Frankie could fool you, he could fool me, Frankie could fool God. He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother, she said. By the time of the trial, publishing rights to the song might have been worth seven figures. 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. "As far as I know, he was a very nice guy. The only child he is known to have fathered died hours after her birth. She told the judge that Frankie Lymon was a charmer. They became lovers, Zola testified, one night in Bangor, Maine, when Frankie had won $1,700 gambling with Clyde McPhatter and she had gotten "a little loaded drinking scotch and water." Neither has Elizabeth or Zola. "They wanted to impress their friends in school" by being on the radio. But "I couldn't get my hands on him, couldn't find him." The small wedding party celebrated by getting very drunk, not an uncommon state for Frankie at the time. They got married at City Hall in Alexandria, Va., early in 1964. 1/28/23, noon until 2pm service at Small's Mortuary. They point to the absence of documentation from Mexico as evidence that Zola and Frankie never married at all. The signs were plain, she says now, that Lymon was floundering, working only intermittently, addicted to drugs and probably to alcohol as well. Lymon and his group followed up with three more hits in 1956 and another in 1957. Emira's attorneys have alleged that the other two widows "acted in concert" with Levy, and point to contracts that Zola and Elizabeth each signed with Levy's publishing business, Big Seven Music Corp. Each assigned the song's copyright to Big Seven in exchange for an advance ($10,000 in Elizabeth's case, $7,500 in Zola's) against her share of future royalties. 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.". She did not know the druggie described in this trial. 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. She'll use a 16-piece band and her own group, Zola Taylor's Platters, as backup singers. He was inducted into the Army in December 1966, and sent to Fort Gordon, Ga. By the time Pvt. A lot of people say I knew him so long I became like him.. Frankie Lymon/Wife. She met Frankie when he was 20-years-old, backstage at the Audubon Ballroom in New York City. Her obituary was posted on February 9, 2023. It was Rubin who, several years ago, came to the conclusion that Lymon's estate was not receiving appropriate royalties. An employee of a furniture store in north Philadelphia, she was in South Carolina for a family funeral. But her secretary and her booking agent both testified that they were witnesses to the wedding. He decided to head to California in hopes that his old friend Zola Taylor could help him get some singing gigs in Los Angeles. Lymon is always short of money, no childhood, and, in most descriptions, lacks calmness, but when a small star appears on the stage, he always steals the limelight. Donald Ray Lymon Sep. 6, 1964 - Jan. 23, 2023 Lie in State Fri. 1/27/23, 4-8pm at Small's Mortuary. That's why we're here today.". Taylor,. She is attempting to recover all the royalties from the date of the record's release because -- she alleges -- neither Levy nor his predecessor as cowriter (George Goldner, who discovered and recorded the Teenagers) is actually an author. She let him live in her hillside house with instructions to pay bills out of an allowance forwarded to him by her attorney. Span wrote that Rubin gets his share too. I know its been good for me.. 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. 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. 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. Gender inclusive room options available. Levy was the head of Roulette Records, the independent label that bought out the Gee label which originally released the record. Cinematographer Ed Lachman. ", 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. A headstone was not part of the package, however, and Frankie Lymon was buried in an unmarked grave at St. Raymonds Cemetery. It was not, for long, a happy one. Zola Taylor Lymon. View our. If the judge's ruling stands, "then we go to federal court and advise the judge that the party who commenced the action is the wrong party," says Levy's attorney in the case, Leon Bornstein. The fact came to notice from a judge during a trial where three middle-aged women (Ash Taylor, Elizabeth Waters, and Amira Eagle) spoke about their miseries. It was engraved with the words, In Memory Of Frankie Lymon Sept. 30, 1942 - Feb. 27, 1968 "We Promise To Remember". By 1962, Frankies career had been in decline for several years but she had nevertheless come with two girlfriends to meet her onetime idol. Zola, the second supposed wife, got to be pretty friendly with the first. 1 pop hit for Diana Ross in 1981 and recently turned up in a greeting card commercial. "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. Fox), a prison-hardened former shoplifter and prostitute. Although most of Rubin's cases don't wind up in court, the allegations Emira made are not unusual. The court found that "the decedent and Elizabeth {Waters} have satisfied the requirements of common law marriage in the State of Pennsylvania." He was apparently a bigamist, or maybe a trigamist. She said he didn't mean to hurt her, and blamed his behavior on his addictions. Zola and Elizabeth declined, but said they were willing to accept an equal, three-way split. 22, 2021. It spent months on the pop charts, led to national tours and TV appearances and bubble-gum cards with the Teenagers' picture on them. But Elizabeth's attorneys argue that she and Frankie lived in Philadelphia and therefore established a common-law marriage under Pennsylvania law. That case can now proceed, their attorney says. "He had such presence, he'd just take over a stage and wipe an audience out. Artists Rights helped secure a financial settlement for Richard Berry, composer of "Louie, Louie" just before the song was used in a wine cooler ad. By the time Waters connected with Lymon, he had become a junkie, and she ended up ruining herself trying to pay for his drugs. "I'm not a person to hold a grudge. She was 19 and sympathetic; she wanted to help him regain what he'd lost. 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. The following month, Zola testified that she and Frankie drove to Tijuana and got married in a tiny chapel. Elizabeth's lawyers maintain her marriage is valid, which means that neither Zola's nor Emira's can be. He was previously married to Emira Lymon, Zola Taylor and Elizabeth Waters. He left no fortune, but his name was listed as one of the songwriters of Why Do Fools Fall In Love. When she returned in April, the house was in foreclosure and Frankie was gone; she never saw him alive again. Zola, in her low-cut gowns, was the dish. While growing up in New York City, I never had much discipline, Lymon told The Chronicle. Royalties were underestimated or simply never paid. The origins of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" In January 1964, he began a relationship with Elizabeth Mickey Waters, from whom he gave birth to his only daughter Francine, who died two days later. Frankie was that kind of person, Your Honor, Elizabeth said. ", 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. 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 had already reached a substantial subtotal. I loved him like a brother.". Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. 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. She claimed to have . 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. -- those he abused and betrayed seem loath to condemn him. Her adversary, Morris Levy, was a powerful force in the music business. It was the hit that made him and the Teenagers famous back in 1956, and the one song that he recorded that remained both popular and valuable over the years. All these arguments are laid forth in voluminous briefs, memoranda and affidavits filed in Surrogate Court. Back in Los Angeles, the club where Zola was performing tossed a celebration, with a cake and champagne. Privacy Policy Agreement * I agree to the Terms of use and Privacy Policy. She'd come with two girlfriends to meet her onetime idol. Your email address will not be published. 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. 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. 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. Elizabeth Waters may be entitled to an estate worth $750,000 in accumulated royalties from Lymon 1956 hit and it's more modern iterations, according to Surrogate Court Judge Marie Lambert's ruling. 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 This legal drama was made into a movie earlier this year, named after his hit song Why fools fall in love. Left-Wing Meloni: Italys Attempt to Replicate Giorgia Meloni, Europe is dumping its migrants in Africa in exchange of money, Antoinette Giancana Biography, Family and Movies, David Von Drehle: Biography, Career, Education and Books, Uplift Suasion: the notion to change racism, Mexicos constitutional crisis has its roots in Washington, The EU-Mercosur Deal: Macrons Duplicity Unveiled, Paraguay declares Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organisation. What's different here is that before the suit could come to trial, Elizabeth petitioned the Surrogate Court claiming that she was Lymon's widow and Zola objected claiming that she was. Zola Taylor had also been a teen-aged star. There may be further delays, though, while that executive faces federal extortion charges. An act could rise and fall with astonishing swiftness then. By the time I met Frankie, he was a record deal-needing, broke ass, scam-on-his-momma-for-a-fix druggie! Click the "All Sizes" button above to read an article or to see the image clearly. 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. He was used and misused, and he used others also, she concluded. The original lineup of the Teenagers, an integrated group, included three . "Emira's Frankie Lymon is not this drunken bum," Pomeroy says. First Visitation. He died on February 28, 1968 in New York City, New York, USA. 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. He was clean for a time when she became pregnant in 1963, and he was deeply saddend by the death of their infant daughter. He moved into her home and her bedroom. Though this success was short-lived, Lymon on a personal level was apparently quite the boy who couldnt say no. As a result, they fought and separated numerous times. Emira came to New York to arrange for Frankies funeral mass and burial. Elizabeth Waters was a struggling part-time bill collector from Philadelphia. He died on February 28, 1968 in New York to arrange for Frankies funeral and. Roulette records, the three women are gorgeous and talented, and she paid bill! Called the work `` moonlighting '' and testified that they were hits levys attorney that... Appetite for the best of life, '' she says she called the work `` moonlighting '' testified... Zola testified that their affair continued off and on for several more years to arrange for funeral... Ross in 1981 elizabeth waters lymon obituary recently turned up in a limousine the first can... To make it work as a result, they fought and separated numerous times of the trial, rights! 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