Frankie Lymon
September 30, 1942 – February 28, 1968
Frankie Lymon and his group, the Teenagers, had one of early R&B / rock ‘n roll’s biggest hits with their 1956 recording of “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” Lymon co-wrote the song at just 16 years of age. Lymon grew up singing, and by the time he was 14, he had joined a local doo-wop group, the Premiers who would soon change its name to the Teenagers. Following the success of their debut single, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” the Teenagers released a string of R&B hits. In about a year’s time however, the group disbanded and Lymon launched a solo career that was never nearly as successful as his time with the Teenagers. All the while, Lymon was struggling with drug addiction, which apparently started when he tried heroin for the first time at the age of 15. In 1965, he and the Teenagers had a short, but unfruitful reunion. Later that year, Lymon was drafted into the Army, but was eventually dishonorably discharged for going AWOL several times to hustle singing gigs near the Augusta, Georgia base. After his discharge, ge moved to New York City to make another go at a recording career, but on February 28, 1968, Lymon was found dead of a heroin overdose at his grandmother’s Harlem home. He was just 25 years old.
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