LFO's Rich Cronin Once Told Howard Stern That Lou Pearlman Was "Disgusting"
Rich Cronin wrote your favorite line in LFO's "Summer Girls."
By Jennifer TisdalePublished July 25 2024, 7:59 p.m. ET
Unlike many of the boy bands Lou Pearlman was responsible for, LFO got their start organically and not in Florida. According to the Los Angeles Times, Brian “Brizz” Gillis, Brad Fischetti, and Rich Cronin started the group in Massachusetts in 1995. The name stood for Lyte Funky Ones and was a blend of hip-hop and pop music.
They had success in the United Kingdom but it wasn't until their breakout hit "Summer Girls," that the band knew they made it.
Sadly tragedy has struck LFO as three of the four members have passed away. Brian died in March 2023. Back in 1999, he was replaced by Devin Lima who lost a battle with cancer in November 2018.
Rich Cronin is also no longer with us. What happened to him? Here's what we know.
Rich Cronin, Devin Lima, and Brad Fischetti in 1999.
What happened to Rich Cronin?
On Sept. 8, 2010, Billboard reported that Rich passed away at the age of 36 from a stroke after a five year battle with acute myelogenous leukemia. While breaking the news of his death, Entertainment Weekly noted that it was Rich who wrote the most popular line in "Summer Girls," which was of course, "I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch." That line hung in the air as heavily as cologne did in an actual Abercrombie & Fitch. It was well-loved and oft-repeated.
Two years after being diagnosed with cancer in 2005, Rich went into remission. It was at that point that he starred in the VH1 reality show Mission: Man Band alongside Jeff Timmons (of 98 Degrees), Bryan Abrams (of Color Me Badd), and Chris Kirkpatrick (of 'N Sync). The series followed their attempt at getting a new boy band off the ground. It could be the first known attempt at a boy band supergroup.
Rich Cronin, Jeff Timmons, and Chris Kirkpatrick.
After learning of his friend's death, Chris took to Facebook to write, "RIP to a great friend Rich C."
Lance Bass said in a tweet, "Sad sad day that Rich Cronin died – was an amazing guy."
LFO broke up in 2002 and four years later, Rich was asked about his time in the group. "I am truly thankful for the success I had," he said. "And if it happens again, that'd be really nice. I'm just that same guy writing pop songs to make people happy. And I still only like girls in Abercrombie & Fitch."
Rich Cronin once told Howard Stern that Lou Pearlman "wanted to bang everyone."
In January 2009, Rich popped into the Howard Stern Show while promoting his solo album "Billion Dollar Sound." Naturally, Howard started playing "Summer Girls" which prompted Rich to share some stories about former manager Lou Pearlman.
He said Pearlman was pervy and "wanted to bang everyone. He wanted to bang everyone there ... he’s disgusting." He also added that singing was less of a priority, as he "just wanted you to be good-looking."
At this point, Pearlman was already in prison for fraud which prompted Howard to ask if he ever stole any money from Rich. Despite the fact that LFO sold 4 or 5 million records while working with Pearlman, they barely saw a dime. "I should’ve made, like, at least 2 or 3 million dollars," Rich told Howard.
He then revealed that Lou was so "creepy," he had to go to therapy to process what he experienced.
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