Rich Cronin
Encyclopedia
Richard Burton "Rich" Cronin (August 30, 1974 – September 8, 2010) was an American singer and songwriter
. He was the lead singer and primary songwriter for the pop
group Lyte Funkie Ones or LFO.
and attended Sacred Heart High School
, graduating in 1993. He also attended Bridgewater State College
and was working part-time in a Blockbuster video store. He was of Irish
and Swedish descent. His brother, Mike Cronin, was a manager for the pop group O-Town.
Harold "Devin" Lima was added to the group to replace Brian Gillis 6 months before the hit "Summer Girls
", was released. By this time, the group had transtioned from Logic Records to Arista Records. With executive, Clive Davis, mentoring and working closely with Cronin on the group's debut release, LFO.
The group's breakout hit "Summer Girls
", was written by Cronin in 1999, hit #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Single Sales chart for six weeks. The single also went platinum in the US with sales of over 1,000,000 units.
The group's second album, "Life is Good", was released on Davis' new label, J Records with Cronin writing or co-writing each song on the album. The group had success with the album's first single, "Every Other Time."
The group disbanded in 2002.
Reality Show Mission: Man Band
. The show also starred Chris Kirkpatrick
of 'N Sync
, Jeff Timmons
of 98 Degrees
and Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd
. The four former pop stars came together in Orlando, Florida
to hit the music scene. Recording with producer Brian Michael Cox, performing and pitching their new music to major record labels, VH1 chronicled their month long endeavor in eight episodes.
In 2008, Cronin released his first solo album Billion Dollar Sound
on May 16, 2008. He made an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in January 2009.
Cronin also formed a rap duo with Doug Ray (formerly of Bad Ronald
) called Loose Cannons. They released one album entitled Life Goes On. The band performed shows from 2006 until 2008.
page which announced that they had reunited and were going on tour beginning July 9, 2009, with Rookie of the Year, Go Crash Audio, and Kiernan McMullan. A new song titled "Summer of My Life" was also announced in associated with the reunion.
In September 2009, however, they announced that they had again broken up.
at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
in Boston
. In January 2006, he went into remission. He started his own foundation called the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation for Leukemia
to raise awareness about the deadly disease; making it his mission to educate people about the urgent need for donating blood, and even more so, bone marrow.
In the summer of 2010, his condition worsened, and he was admitted for further treatment at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
in Boston, Massachusetts. On the afternoon of September 8, 2010, Rich Cronin died in the hospital after suffering a stroke secondary to leukemia, at the age of 36.
Songwriter
A songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
. He was the lead singer and primary songwriter for the pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
group Lyte Funkie Ones or LFO.
Early life
Cronin was raised in Kingston, MassachusettsKingston, Massachusetts
Kingston is a coastal town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. According to the 2010 Census, it had a population of 12,629.-History:Before European settlers arrived in Kingston it was within the tribal home to the Wampanoag people...
and attended Sacred Heart High School
Sacred Heart High School (Kingston, Massachusetts)
Sacred Heart High School is a private college preparatory high school of Roman Catholic denomination in Kingston, Massachusetts. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Boston. The school is operated by the Sisters of Divine Providence and has been educating students in grades 7-12...
, graduating in 1993. He also attended Bridgewater State College
Bridgewater State College
Bridgewater State University is a public liberal-arts college in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is the largest college in the Massachusetts state university system outside of the University of Massachusetts system. The school's mascot is the bear.-History:BSU was founded by...
and was working part-time in a Blockbuster video store. He was of Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and Swedish descent. His brother, Mike Cronin, was a manager for the pop group O-Town.
LFO
Cronin was the founding member of the pop group LFO. The group started out in Germany on BMG in 1997 with member, Brian Gillis aka "Brizz". In the spring of 1998 the group opened up for *NSYNC and by this time were signed to BMG/Logic Records in the US. They were labeled as the "bad boys of pop" citing influences: The Beastie Boys and New Edition. They released two singles: "Sex U Up (The Way You Like It)" and "Can't Have You" with original member, Brian Gillis. Brian left the group frustrated with the direction of the group and lack of success.Harold "Devin" Lima was added to the group to replace Brian Gillis 6 months before the hit "Summer Girls
Summer Girls
"Summer Girls" is the title of a song recorded by the pop group LFO. It was released in June 1999 as the lead single from their album, LFO. The song reached the Top 30 in the US in July 1999 and peaked at number three in August 1999....
", was released. By this time, the group had transtioned from Logic Records to Arista Records. With executive, Clive Davis, mentoring and working closely with Cronin on the group's debut release, LFO.
The group's breakout hit "Summer Girls
Summer Girls
"Summer Girls" is the title of a song recorded by the pop group LFO. It was released in June 1999 as the lead single from their album, LFO. The song reached the Top 30 in the US in July 1999 and peaked at number three in August 1999....
", was written by Cronin in 1999, hit #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Single Sales chart for six weeks. The single also went platinum in the US with sales of over 1,000,000 units.
The group's second album, "Life is Good", was released on Davis' new label, J Records with Cronin writing or co-writing each song on the album. The group had success with the album's first single, "Every Other Time."
The group disbanded in 2002.
After LFO
In 2007, Cronin was a cast member for the VH1VH1
VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly...
Reality Show Mission: Man Band
Mission: Man Band
Mission: Man Band is an American reality series that first aired on VH1 on August 6, 2007.-Overview:...
. The show also starred Chris Kirkpatrick
Chris Kirkpatrick
Christopher Alan "Chris" Kirkpatrick is an American singer, dancer, entertainer, and voice actor who is best known as a founding member of the pop group 'N Sync in which he sang counter tenor. He has provided the voice for many kids shows, including the voice of Chip Skylark on The Fairly Odd...
of 'N Sync
'N Sync
N Sync was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, *NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick...
, Jeff Timmons
Jeff Timmons
Jeffrey Brandon Timmons is an American pop singer and producer and founding member of the Grammy-nominated pop group 98 Degrees.-98 Degrees:...
of 98 Degrees
98 Degrees
98 Degrees is an American adult contemporary boy band consisting of four vocalists: brothers Nick and Drew Lachey, Justin Jeffre, and Jeff Timmons. The group was formed by Timmons in Los Angeles, California....
and Bryan Abrams of Color Me Badd
Color Me Badd
Color Me Badd was an R&B vocal group that was formed in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, U.S. The original members of the group were Bryan Abrams ; Mark Calderon ; Sam Watters and Kevin Thornton...
. The four former pop stars came together in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
to hit the music scene. Recording with producer Brian Michael Cox, performing and pitching their new music to major record labels, VH1 chronicled their month long endeavor in eight episodes.
In 2008, Cronin released his first solo album Billion Dollar Sound
Billion Dollar Sound
Billion Dollar Sound is the first studio/solo album by former LFO vocalist, Rich Cronin. The album was released on May 16, 2008. The album was 3 years in the making and includes music which chronicles his journey from "Summer Girls" to now. The label of the album is Orange Freeze Records...
on May 16, 2008. He made an appearance on The Howard Stern Show in January 2009.
Cronin also formed a rap duo with Doug Ray (formerly of Bad Ronald
Bad Ronald (band)
Bad Ronald was a rap-rock band from Hartsdale who released their self-titled debut album in 2001. Their first single, "Let's Begin", was briefly on MTV's rotation and featured in the film Not Another Teen Movie. Their second single, "1st Time", was featured in the 2002 movie Orange County. The...
) called Loose Cannons. They released one album entitled Life Goes On. The band performed shows from 2006 until 2008.
2009 reunion tour with LFO
On June 3, 2009, LFO posted a blog entitled "LFO IS BACK" on their official MySpaceMySpace
Myspace is a social networking service owned by Specific Media LLC and pop star Justin Timberlake. Myspace launched in August 2003 and is headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. In August 2011, Myspace had 33.1 million unique U.S. visitors....
page which announced that they had reunited and were going on tour beginning July 9, 2009, with Rookie of the Year, Go Crash Audio, and Kiernan McMullan. A new song titled "Summer of My Life" was also announced in associated with the reunion.
In September 2009, however, they announced that they had again broken up.
Illness and death
In March 2005, Cronin went to the hospital after suffering from constant headaches. He was diagnosed with a form of leukemia known as acute myelogenous leukemia. He was given chemotherapyChemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts is a major flagship teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. It was formed out of the 1996 merger of Beth Israel Hospital and New England Deaconess Hospital...
in Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
. In January 2006, he went into remission. He started his own foundation called the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation for Leukemia
Rich Cronin Hope Foundation for Leukemia
The Rich Cronin Hope Foundation for Leukemia is a Family Foundation established by pop singer Rich Cronin during his fight against Leukemia. The Foundation is dedicated to the care, compassion and life enrichment of individuals and families impacted by leukemia...
to raise awareness about the deadly disease; making it his mission to educate people about the urgent need for donating blood, and even more so, bone marrow.
In the summer of 2010, his condition worsened, and he was admitted for further treatment at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital
The Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital is a 196-bed rehabilitation teaching hospital located in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the official teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School’s Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the main campus of the Spaulding Rehabilitation Network...
in Boston, Massachusetts. On the afternoon of September 8, 2010, Rich Cronin died in the hospital after suffering a stroke secondary to leukemia, at the age of 36.