Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, the wild child of the musical trio TLC, was the group's designated rapper until her untimely death in 2002. As with many artists who die before their time, Lopes' popularity climbed after her passing. Lisa Lopes memorabilia, including many DVDs and CDs, are highly sough after by collectors and fans. The hip-hop R&B band TLC started in 1991, when Lopes was just 20 years old. The following year, TLC caught the public's imagination with hits like "Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg" and "Baby-Baby-Baby," as well as their eye-catching outfits, including Lopes's outrageous glasses, which featured a condom in lieu of the left-eye lens. Their second album, CrazySexyCool, was released in 1994 and was even a bigger hit for the Atlanta-based band. Lopes also made big news in 1994 by setting fire to the mansion of her boyfriend, Andre Rison, a former football player with the Atlanta Falcons. She pleaded guilty to arson, paid a fine of $10,000, and was sentenced to a halfway house and five years' probation. The following year, the trio declared bankruptcy, but still managed to win two Grammy awards in 1996. In 2002, while vacationing in Honduras with other performers, Lopes was killed instantly in a head-on collision on a treacherous back road; she was driving the vehicle. To this day, collectors are still buying, selling, and bidding on Lisa Lopes albums, magazines, DVDs, posters, photographs, books, promotional materials, and other memorabilia.
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