TLC Member Chilli Honors Left-Eye on What Would Have Been Her 49th Birthday

Chilli is honoring her dear friend and former TLC band member Lisa Lopes on what would have been her 49th birthday. The singer took to Instagram by sharing a sweet photo of the two in their early days. “This beautiful girl would’ve been 49 today! Love her endlessly and miss her like craaaaaaaaazy!!!! Continue resting in peace sister #happybirthday #lefteye #mtb.”

Lopes died in 2002 after being involved in a tragic car accident that took place in Honduras. She was only 30 years old at the time and was just one month away from her birthday. Lopes was involved in a head-on collision at the time. Reports have stated that she was there, in a place she loved so much, attending a nearby healing village. Lopes was killed instantly according to reports, while others in the car sustained life-threatening injuries, according to Billboard. According to Lopes’s publicist, “she wanted to live there” in Honduras because she adored it there, even purchasing a condo in the area. “It was something very personal to her,” her publicist said about the time she went over to work on a line of clothing and finish up a book about her life. “And it was something she liked to share with people. Lisa loved to travel, loved to find new places. She loved cultures that were really truly spiritual.”

Almost a decade before her death, Lopes was making headlines for burning down her boyfriend’s mansion. In March of 1993, the TLC singer started dating Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Andre Rison, after the two met at his birthday party. He fell in love so quickly; he tried to get her to marry him that night. However, over a year later, things didn’t end so well for them. In June 1994, Lopes set fire to his million-dollar mansion over a pair of shoes. Rison reportedly came home with a number of shoes according to E!, and when he didn’t buy her a pair, she took all of his newly purchased shoes and set fire to them, which resulted in the entire 15,000 square foot home being torched. The two did have a turbulent relationship. Just six months into their flame, they argued in a grocery store parking lot where Risan allegedly assaulted her then fired off a gun to warn everyone around not to get involved, according to Paper Magazine. Despite their rather wild relationship, the two still wanted to get married, but sadly, it was too late when Lopes passed away at such a young age.