The Tragic Death Of LFO's Brian 'Brizz' Gillis

Former LFO band member, Brian "Brizz" Gillis, has died at the age of 47. 

LFO band member Brad Fischetti alerted their fans of Gillis' passing on Instagram. Alongside a black-and-white shot of a young Gillis, Fischetti honored the life of his friend and collaborator. "The first two chapters of the LFO story lost a main character yesterday. Brian 'Brizz' Gillis passed away," wrote Fischetti. "I am really struggling to process this tragic loss. I've said it before and I will continue to say it; the LFO Story is a tragedy." At the time of reporting, Gillis' cause of death has yet to be announced.

As Fischetti mentioned, the pop/hip-hop group — who is best known for the 1999 hit, "Summer Girls" —  has experienced more than its fair share of losses. Gillis' death marks the third time the group has lost a prominent contributor. LFO band members Rich Cronin and David Lima both died from aggressive forms of cancer during the 2010s. With this heartbreaking loss, Fischetti is now the sole surviving member of the group.

LFO's original lineup consisted of Brian 'Brizz' Gillis, Rich Cronin, and David Fischetti. Eventually, Gillis left the group to pursue greener pastures, thus opening up a slot for Devin Lima to join the group. During the group's first crack at the music biz, they released two albums, "LFO" and "Life Is Good," which failed to transcend multiple generations like some of their most prominent pop peers of the time. With that said, LFO released a string of fun, catchy singles that are wonderful nostalgic nods to the late '90s. 

Fans of the unique group, who are unfairly familiar with grief in the loss of Cronin and Lima, are now mourning Gillis' death online. Author Matthew Rettenmund tweeted, "For '90s kids, this is another sad story — 'Brizz,' one of the original members of LFO, has died. I have no details. Bizarrely, that makes 3 of the 4 guys who were ever in the group, after Rich Cronin and Devin Lima. Only Brad Fischetti is left. 'Brizz' & I back in the day," alongside an old photo of himself and Gillis. "I loved LFO...so tragic they all passed so young," tweeted a fan. Journalist Kathia Woods expressed her shock. "You lying ... so only Brad [is] left. Horribl[e]," she tweeted.