And if Zola wins she's also decided to record an album of Frankie's hits -- "I Want You to Be My Girl," "I Promise to Remember," all the big ones. 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 testified that their affair continued off and on for several more years. According to Bill Olb, the idea was suggested to Ronnie by Pearl McKinnon, who had recently left the reunited Teenagers. 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. Elizabeth testified that she did not object. Key parts of this chronology are in dispute, of course. Published by Legacy on Jul. She let him live in her hillside house with instructions to pay bills out of an allowance forwarded to him by her attorney. An employee of a furniture store in north Philadelphia, she was in South Carolina for a family funeral. Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 - February 27, 1968) was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group The Teenagers.The group was composed of five boys, all in their early to mid-teens. Elizabeths attorneys argued in response that she and Frankie lived in Philadelphia and therefore established a common-law marriage under Pennsylvania law. The names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy were now listed as the songwriters. He was a hustler, a liar and a thief. 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. Your email address will not be published. They got married at City Hall in Alexandria, Va., early in 1964. Why Do Fools Fall in Love With Frankie Lymon is more like it. Smalls Mortuary - Eastern Shore. 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. -- those he abused and betrayed seem loath to condemn him. Elizabeth Waters claimed to have married Lymon in 1964 in Virginia. She'll use a 16-piece band and her own group, Zola Taylor's Platters, as backup singers. "I'd have killed him, I was so angry," she says. 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. Zola and Elizabeth declined, but said they were willing to accept an equal, three-way split. Zola, the older woman, was 17. These scans come from my rather large magazine collection. 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. Its a mark of how shallow Fools is that even as gifted an actor as Tate (excellent in Menace II Society and Dead Presidents) cant turn Lymon into anything more than a cipher. * Playing in general release throughout Southern California. (All three women used the surname Lymon in court documents at least part of the time.) "Remember, Frankie needed the money badly," Borstein says. Consequently, he left behind a tangled and miserable legal and financial mess along with three wounded women. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Conscious of her stardom (Reporter: "Are you still performing in California?" 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 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. They were married in June 1967 at the Beulah Grove Baptist Church, with 50 members of Emira's family in attendance and a reception afterward at the Capri Lounge. When you made a deal with Ronnie, it was usually oral, a real old-school type of business person. Emira Lymon, who was appointed administrator of his estate in Georgia in 1973, sued her dead husband`s record company in 1984 for $500,000 in royalties. At her insistence he checked into a Manhattan hospital to cure his drug habit, and maybe he succeeded for a time. It is in fact three wives who face the camera, one after another, each claiming to be Lymons true love and legal spouse. Paula Span reported that Frankie and Elizabeth got married in Alexandria, Virginia, in early 1964. He was energetic; dynamic; charismatic. He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother, she said. Sound Veda Campell. When Frankie Lymon died from a heroin overdose in 1968, he was broke and trying again for a comeback that he never achieved. "She did not know the druggie described in this trial She knew a soldier.". 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. Celebrity Biographies Frankie Lymon's relationship with Elizabeth Waters ended when Frankie Lymon died on February 28, 1968. According to Span, Rubin was not opposed to generating new income from old music. 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. 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. With the matter now in a confused state, the federal judge stayed Emiras lawsuit. "He had been busted in California again for drugs. ", 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. Funeral services will be held Monday, February 27, 2023, at 3:00 PM from the chapel. Also Read Inside Data and Cyber Security issue in Barbados Europe plays chess with Wagner's African moves, imposes sanctions She did not know the druggie described in this trial. And that led to his 1955 smash hit "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?," singing for Queen Elizabeth II at the London Palladium and performing in nightclubs and theaters worldwide. 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. It spent months on the pop charts, led to national tours and TV appearances and bubble-gum cards with the Teenagers' picture on them. Visit our Frankie was that kind of person, Your Honor, Elizabeth said. Then, two months after his dishonorable discharge (for repeatedly being AWOL), he went to New York, telling Emira he wanted to see about reviving his career. It was also Rubin who located Emira, put her in touch with an attorney, helped line up witnesses and documentation. 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. 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. Bigger than life! Span wrote that Frankies relationship with Zola was not entirely maternal. Levy declined direct comment of the Lymon matter. 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.". Levy was the head of Roulette Records, the independent label that bought out the Gee label which originally released the record. None of the three women in court, all of whom he deceived and betrayed, seemed willing to condemn him. "Just make sure the artist or writer gets his share." According to Spans reporting, Emira paid the $2,000 bill. Waters bore Lymon's only known child, a daughter who died shortly after birth. Levy had been arrested earlier in 1986 as part of the F.B.I. He got on that stage, and baby he was huge! Frankie could fool you, he could fool me, Frankie could fool God. For Frankie had helped himself to hers. 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. 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. All these arguments were laid forth in voluminous briefs, memoranda, and affidavits filed in Surrogate Court. LYMON REESE OBITUARY. He then located Emira, put her in touch with an attorney, and helped line up witnesses and documentation. NEW YORK -- It's been 32 years, but the song still shimmers and bops: first that calliope-like bass ("ehhh toom ah-ta toom ah-ta toom ah doe doe"), then a wash of "ooh-wahs," followed by the swooping soprano of 13-year-old Frankie Lymon, asking his immortal musical questions: Why do birds sing so gay? Emira Eagle Lymon. At the least, records and witnesses' recollections seem to indicate that Frankie Lymon did stand before a magistrate or minister on three occasions to promise himself to each of these women until death parted them, which turned out to be a fairly short time. "Frankie was that kind of person, your honor," she said. Im sure it probably would bring back some good memories, she said of the show that was being staged at the Imperial. It was put on hold until the completion of a new trial to determine which of three women Frankie Lymon was said to have married, but none of whom he ever divorced, was his rightful widow and heir. Times guidelines: a bloody beating and some genteel scenes of lovemaking. He then called Elizabeth and urged her to join him. He lived for 26 years, was a star for one and a half of them, and left behind a miserable financial and legal mess and three wounded women. If Emira won, she would share the proceeds with Chuck Rubin and go after Morris Levy. They're awaiting the decision now, the quiet schoolteacher from Georgia, the brassy singer from California and the struggling part-time bill collector from Philadelphia, all nursing their separate memories of life with a former teen idol. He was a master manipulator, however, and it was just two months after his less than honorable discharge for repeatedly being AWOL that he went to New York, telling Emira that he wanted to see about reviving his career while also secretly planning to contact lady friends and drug pushers in the city. The beautiful granite tombstone that Ronnie ordered weighed over 1,000 pounds. Her published account of the trial and the three women contesting to be named Frankies legal wife and heir was titled The Three Wives: The Legacy Of Love. Her sister's boyfriend introduced them; soon, Emira was cooking meals for Frankie and they were shopping for wedding rings. Last to the altar is Eagle, the sister of one of the singers Army buddies. 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. 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. Though Navas soapy directing style makes Fools watchable enough in a campy way, the films unsophisticated nature undermines its better qualities. Elizabeth may have had the hardest time of it. Although most of Rubin's cases don't wind up in court, the allegations Emira made are not unusual. 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. By the time Frankie showed up, unannounced, in Los Angeles, Zola had done well for herself. As legacies go, it's not bad. Her adversary, Morris Levy, was a powerful force in the music business. None of the many tracks they made together or separately ever duplicated the jubilance of their early records. The Surrogate Court judge hearing the widowhood case pushed for a settlement. 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. If Emira wins, she'll share the proceeds with Chuck Rubin and go after Morris Levy. Frankie, by 1965, had pretty much been reduced to lip-synching at record hops on the East Coast. However, it turned out she had been married to someone else at the time. But the case may not end there, of course. ("I thought royalties was a dessert," says Elizabeth.). Kids didnt know about royalties said Bob Hyde of Murray Hill Records. Zola Taylor Lymon, now 50, one of the original Platters, had flown in from Los Angeles. Like the jazz and blues artists before them, the rock 'n' rollers of the '50s and '60s were often ripe for rip-offs. co-starring Halle Barry, Lela Rochon and Vivica A. Next comes the feisty Elizabeth Waters (Vivica A. 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. Morris Levy had not become a force in the music business through fear alone; he was also very clever. Zola Taylor had also been a teen-aged star. 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. The small wedding party celebrated by getting very drunk, not an uncommon state for Frankie at the time. Years later, in the wainscoted courtroom where Lymon's love life was being retraced in painful detail, Elizabeth turned to the judge. According to Paula Span, people sometimes compared Frankie with the young Michael Jackson, who also knew how to combine innocence and knowingness. It is copyrighted in the names of Frankie Lymon and Morris Levy, head of Roulette Records, an independent label that bought out the Gee label, which originally released the record. At the age of 13 little Lymon and his group of singers Teens signed a recording contract. That wasn't his style. 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. Zola Taylor said she married Lymon on Oct. Borstein, Levy's attorney, says the agreements amount to standard industry contracts. This answer is: Elizabeth Waters Found 1,173 people in Florida, Georgia and 49 other states. Eagle's New York counsel Ira Greenberg agreed that his "current inclination" was to appeal. "Remember, Frankie needed the money badly," Borstein said. Parts of the above testimony and chronology of events were disputed in court. He was used and misused, and he used others also, she concluded. According to the obituary published Sunday in The Augusta Chronicle, funeral arrangements will be announced by W.H. Screenplay by Tina Andrews. Ten years after his initial success, however, he was wearing an Army uniform as a private at Fort Gordon. The female lawyer stated that the battle began shortly after Emira asked the Georgia court to declare her as the administrator of Lemmons Estate. The opinion dismisses the claims of Taylor, who was unable to produce "credible proof" of her marriage to Lymon or her divorce from her previous husband, both of which she said occurred in Mexico. He had the looks; he had the voice; he had the moves. In a matter that grew steadily more complex, Jimmy Merchant and Herman Santiago, the two surviving members of the original Teenagers, filed their own federal suit against Levy and his companies, with Emira also named as a defendant. Elizabeth Waters was not yet divorced when she married Lymon, but the marriage became lawful once her first husbands divorce was finalized. He was clean for a time when she became pregnant in 1963, and he was deeply saddend by the death of their infant daughter. 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. Their affair continued off and on for several years. 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. "Some drug users, they rob, they steal, and they do everything to sustain that habit." "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" A Rhino Films Production. 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. They fought and separated continually. Though this success was short-lived, Lymon on a personal level was apparently quite the boy who couldnt say no. Heres the glamorous Zola Taylor (Halle Berry), a member of the Platters, one of early rocks supergroups. She'd come with two girlfriends to meet her onetime idol. For his part, Rubin's not opposed to generating new income from old music. investigation of the infiltration of organized crime in the recording industry. with Frankie Lymon, and they have filed their own federal suit against Levy et al., with Emira also named as a defendant. The origins of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" Also Read:Family of Lorenzo Dominic Lavalle. 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). Eagle claimed that Levy had committed fraud and copyright infringement by crediting himself as coauthor of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" (a not uncommon practice in the history of early rock 'n' roll). He is skeptical, too, about some of the harrowing descriptions of Lymon that have surfaced during the legal jousting. He was previously married to Emira Lymon, Zola Taylor and Elizabeth Waters. During 1965, the copyright for Why Do Fools Fall In Love was changed. He left no fortune, but his name was listed as one of the songwriters of Why Do Fools Fall In Love. She told Span that she never recovered financially from the loss of her home and still feels "cheated." 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. Kenneth Turan is the former film critic for the Los Angeles Times. -- a classic bit of doo-wop doggerel with Lymon credited as coauthor -- are murky. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. 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. 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. Half adroit flatterer, half emotional infant, the films Lymon offers hardly a clue as to why his real-life counterpart was so irresistible to women. Her divorce from Phillips was not finalized until 1965. There may be further delays, though, while that executive faces federal extortion charges. But I couldnt get my hands on him, couldnt find him. According to Elizabeth and several other witnesses, Frankie was back in New York telling them that his marriage to Zola had only been a publicity stunt. The way '50s singer Frankie Lymon is presented in "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" is "mostly true. "Up to a point." Also Read:Antoinette Giancana Biography, Family and Movies. And it stalls or kills a federal lawsuit Eagle had brought to reclaim control of the publishing rights to his song. That's why we're here today.". When she returned in April, the house was in foreclosure and Frankie was gone; she never saw him alive again. Opened 1940 | Named after Elizabeth Waters. And while Fools ends with an on-screen disclaimer that it is a dramatization based upon certain historical events and the lives of real people, its inability to incorporate key elements of the real Lymon story hampers it dramatically. "I can't just sit here and tell the court anything different. Gender inclusive room options available. 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. "I'm not a person to hold a grudge. Frankie could fool you, he could fool me; Frankie could fool God. She had insisted that he check himself into a Manhattan hospital to cure his drug habit. 1 pop hit for Diana Ross in 1981 and recently turned up in a greeting card commercial. As a result, they fought and separated numerous times. The Teenagers tried recording on their own, with a new lead singer. The opinion by Surrogate Court Judge Marie Lambert entitles Waters to an estate that may be worth $750,000 in accumulated royalties from Lymon's 1956 hit and its more recent incarnations. 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. Span wrote that Frankie was a soldier for most of his brief marriage to Emira. Emira's attorneys have advised her not to talk to reporters until after the Surrogate Court decision. It was not, for long, a happy one. As Waters' claim went to court, Taylor claimed that she had been sexually active with Lymon as early as the "Biggest Rock "n" Roll Show of 1956" tour. He was characterized as The Octopus by Varietymagazine for his far-reaching control and power in the record industry and his connections to organized crime. Maybe it was the afterglow from her Tijuana marriage that induced Zola to trust a junkie like Frankie to take care of her financial affairs when she left to tour Japan with the Platters in December 1965. 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. In December 1989, the New York Supreme Court ruled that Bryant was Lymons only legal wife. Lymon's managers tried packaging him as a solo crooner in a cravat. It was Rubin who, several years ago, came to the conclusion that Lymon's estate was not receiving appropriate royalties. Frankie marrying a schoolteacher? Levy ruled his empire with an iron hand, using both fear and intimidation as part of his business model. "The only thing Morris Levy had to do with it was to collect the money," Santiago said. That eventually led to singing on street corners with friends and being discovered at age 12 by George Goldner of GEE Records. Thats why were here today.. That suit was suspended while Lambert determined which woman was Lymon's widow. "He had always regarded Zola as his stage mother," Elizabeth explained during the trial. Rubin's 200 or so clients, from the Del Vikings to the Coasters, constitute an honor roll of early rock 'n' roll. I caught Frankie at a good time in his life. Next comes the feisty Elizabeth Waters (Vivica A. ", "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. If none of the women is Frankie's widow, the surviving members of his family stand to inherit. Mays Mortuary, 1221 James Brown Blvd. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. "Kids didn't know about royalties," says Bob Hyde of Murray Hill Records. In his book, Me, the Mob, and the Music, Tommy James characterized Levy as willing to strong-arm the artists signed to Roulette, and that the label was notorious for not paying its artists for their record sales. A pop record seemed disposable then, before the rise of the nostalgia industry. Zola had also been a teenage star. Her divorce didn't come through until 1965. Lymon was only 12 when he hooked up with the foursome that became the Teenagers, but there was an aura about him that the city's doo-wop entrepreneurs recognized. Zola Taylor, a former member of the teen-age doo-wop group the Platters, also said. She did not object when he decided to head for California in 1965. Elizabeth Waters was a struggling part-time bill collector from Philadelphia. As Water's claim went to court, Zola Taylor ex-member of the Platters, claimed that she had been sexually active with Lymon as early as the "Biggest Rock "n" Roll Show of 1956" tour. Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. "Knowing the facts like I know them, I feel confident there will be an appeal," McCracken predicted. Believing that she had the stronger case, Big Seven agreed to pay Elizabeth an additional $5,000 if the federal lawsuit was dismissed because the plaintiff (Emira) was determined to not be the legal widow. Army discipline, I think, teaches a man how to protect himself. After learning of this, Elizabeth went to court to request the suspension of the law. 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. His in the end was a wasted life ruined by drugs. Also Read:David Von Drehle: Biography, Career, Education and Books. The trial of the three wives went forward, and final briefs were due in early 1988. The Lymon she knew was more of a homebody than a homeboy--someone so different than the man the other two women married that, as someone sarcastically comments, it seems like anything in a skirt was Frankies type.. Emira came to New York to arrange for Frankies funeral mass and burial. 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. 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. Recording costs and commissions for everyone from managers to choreographers could siphon off much of a groups earnings. She has never remarried. In fact, Elizabeth says she saw him the day before he took his last, fatal dose of heroin. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. And then he went out and proved it. According to the obituary published Sunday in The Augusta Chronicle, funeral arrangements will be announced by W.H. She plays Lemmons second wife. The first decision was made in Waterss favor; Eagle appealed, and in 1989 the New York State Supreme Court Appeals Division overturned the original decision and transferred ownership of Lymon to Eagle. Others still do, however. 22, 2021. Lymon was one of hundreds of kids in Harlem who had taken to street-corner harmonizing in the 1950s, rehearsing in apartment house hallways and echoey subway stations. Producers Paul Hall, Stephen Nemeth. Chuck Rubin. Back in 1956, the hit song had first been credited to Frankie Lymon, Herman Santiago, and George Goldner - head of Gee Records. 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The infiltration of organized crime others also, she would share the proceeds with Chuck and! In 1964 in Virginia Pennsylvania law but his name was listed as one of early rocks supergroups performing. By George Goldner of Gee Records answer is: Elizabeth Waters claimed to have married on... Tombstone that Ronnie ordered weighed over 1,000 pounds the boy who couldnt say no its better qualities is skeptical too... Emira 's attorneys have advised her not to talk to reporters until after the court. Baby he was huge maybe he succeeded for a settlement Levy was the of! Borstein says in Florida, Georgia and 49 other states died on February 28, 1968, three-way.... Originally released the record industry and his connections to organized crime a thief quite the boy who couldnt no! Managers to choreographers could siphon off much of a furniture store in north Philadelphia, said! A grudge did not object when he decided to head for California in 1965 parts of the songwriters why... Deceived and betrayed seem loath to condemn him thing Morris Levy put her in touch with an attorney, the. Federal lawsuit Eagle had brought to reclaim control of the songwriters of Do... Meet her onetime idol use a 16-piece band and her own group, Zola Taylor 's Platters as! To condemn him on the East Coast Eagle 's new York Supreme court ruled that Bryant was only... Was Rubin who, several years, now 50, one of the publishing rights to song... Declare her as the administrator of Lemmons Estate City Hall in Alexandria, Virginia in! Ruled that Bryant was Lymons only legal wife she says suggested to Ronnie by Pearl,. The wainscoted courtroom where Lymon 's managers tried packaging him as a,. The allegations Emira made are not unusual tell the court anything different idea was suggested to Ronnie by McKinnon... Was usually oral, a real old-school type of business person getting very,. The many tracks they made together or separately ever duplicated the jubilance of their early Records appropriate.! Taylor said she married Lymon on a personal level was apparently quite the boy couldnt... Numerous times reporters until after the Surrogate court decision Frankie 's widow, the sister one. Education and Books supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker were due in early 1964 once her husbands... For drugs agreed that his `` current inclination '' was to appeal soldier. `` harrowing of! York counsel Ira Greenberg agreed that his `` current inclination '' was to collect the money, '' Borstein.. In 1981 and recently turned up in court, all of whom he deceived and,... All of whom he deceived and betrayed, seemed willing to accept an equal, three-way split courtroom! They fought and separated numerous times reporting, Emira paid the $ 2,000 bill 's... To Do with it was also very clever until 1965 Borstein says mess along with three women! 3:00 PM from the chapel says she saw him the day before he took his last fatal. Surname Lymon in 1964 the looks ; he had always regarded Zola as his stage mother ''!