What Happened to Aaliyah and Lisa Lopes?

Aaliyah and Lisa Lopes (known to TLC fans as Left Eye) died too young, at the peak of their careers with numerous hits and an expanding business empire – yet were taken far too soon by untimely accidents. Though it is hard to comprehend, their deaths left lasting impacts on fans, friends, and family despite this tragedy.

Left Eye’s rapping skills were instrumental to TLC’s rise to stardom during the late ’90s. She served as TLC’s rapper but also demonstrated a soft side and was capable of singing alongside Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins and Rozonda “Chilli” Thomas. By 1999 when TLC released their FanMail album, Lopes had moved beyond her narrow role of being simply one part of TLC and instead focused on other forms of creativity; such as solo rap career short-term solo rap career and tour with her bandmates.

Lopes traveled to Honduras shortly before her death to film a documentary for VH1. Lauren Lazin directed The Last Days of Left Eye based around this footage as well as other footage captured during her final weeks, airing it in May 2007. Unfortunately, it’s relatively forgotten among non-TLC fans; nonetheless it offers an insightful look into a celebrity grappling with mortality and their public life demands.

Funeral services were solemn and heartbreaking events. Beginning with gospel duo Mary Mary’s “Shackles (Praise You),” an encouraging religious hymn meant to comfort mourners at the service, “Shackles (Praise You)”. The lyrics describe how breaking free can bring feelings of freedom and relief; perhaps this helped some attendees.

After that, mourners filed into a church to pay their respects to Left Eye. The service was interfaith, with people from various religions taking turns reading prayers; many mourners wept openly while others listened quietly while praying for peace amid such tragedy.

The memorial service itself was an emotionally moving and profound affair; however, some critics were disappointed to learn of her posthumous album Left Eye Legacy being released just months after her passing. Some believed the record label had taken advantage of Lopes’ tragic situation to make a profit fast while others voiced concerns that this effort failed to capture Lopes’ unique talent or style.