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LFO—short for Lyte Funkie Ones—broke through in 1999 with “Summer Girls,” then followed it with “Girl on TV.” The group’s story, however, began before its best-known trio of Rich Cronin, Devin Lima and Brad Fischetti, and continued through changing lineups, reunions and the deaths of three former members. Brian “Brizz” Gillis, a founding member who left before the hit-making era, died in 2023; Cronin died in 2010 after a leukemia battle, and Lima died in 2018 after cancer. Fischetti has continued performing LFO’s music in their memory.
How LFO went from an earlier lineup to pop success
LFO’s name stood for Lyte Funkie Ones. Brian “Brizz” Gillis was part of the group’s founding lineup, but he left before the era most listeners associate with the band. Devin Lima joined in 1999, completing the best-known lineup with Rich Cronin and Brad Fischetti. The official LFO biography dates the group’s breakthrough to that year, when “Summer Girls” became its signature hit, followed by “Girl on TV.”
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The group released its second album, Life Is Good, in 2001, then went on hiatus in 2002. Those milestones frame LFO’s original run, but not its full history: later reunions brought the members together again even as illness and loss reshaped the band.
Rich Cronin’s illness and LFO’s 2009 reunion
Diagnosis, treatment and return to the stage
Cronin was diagnosed with leukemia in 2005. The Los Angeles Times reported that the disease returned in 2007 or 2008 and that his treatment included a stem-cell transplant. Afterward, he suffered a stroke and severe leg pain. In 2009, Cronin, Lima and Fischetti reunited for a summer tour. Fischetti later recalled that Cronin had not expected to perform onstage again; the reunion gave the three a chance to tour together after Cronin’s illness.
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Cronin’s death in 2010
Cronin died in Massachusetts on September 8, 2010, according to CBS News, which reported his death the following day. Accounts differ on his age, so it is clearer to state the date than to repeat a disputed figure.
Devin Lima joined the 2017 reunion, then faced cancer
Fischetti and Lima reunited for a 2017 tour. According to the band’s biography, Lima was diagnosed with adrenal cancer about two months after that tour. CBS News reported that Lima died in November 2018 after a yearlong cancer battle. His death came eight years after Cronin’s and left Fischetti as the only surviving member of the best-known trio.
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Founding member Brian Gillis died in 2023
Gillis’s story belongs to LFO’s earlier history, not to the hit-era trio: he was a founding member and had left the group before its best-known lineup took shape. He died in 2023. Scripps News reported his death without giving a cause. The Los Angeles Times reported that Fischetti said he did not know the details and did not consider it his place to disclose them. The available reports therefore do not establish a cause of death; speculation should not be presented as fact.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Brad Fischetti continues LFO’s music and legacy
Fischetti has continued to perform LFO’s music and has described that work as a way to honor his friends and keep the band’s songs in circulation. In its retrospective on the group, The Washington Post quoted him describing LFO’s story as “a tragedy.” The band biography, written in Fischetti’s first person, says he will continue to keep Cronin and Lima’s legacy alive and introduce a new generation to LFO’s sound.
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For listeners revisiting the group, the self-titled debut and Life Is Good offer two points in its recorded story: the early period that preceded the hit-making trio and the album released before the 2002 hiatus. Their history is more than the songs that made LFO famous: it includes a founding member who left before that success, friends reunited after serious illness, and a surviving bandmate carrying the music forward.
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- Greatest Hits is a 1988 compilation album by British-American band Fleetwood Mac. It covers the period of the band's greatest commercial success, from the mid-1970s to the late 1980s. The track listing for the US release differs slightly from that of other territories. It includes the 1975 track "Over My Head" but omits the 1987 track "Seven Wonders."
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