Brian “Brizz” Gillis, best noted as one of the founding members of the ’90s group LFO, has died. He took his last breaths on March 29, 2023, Wednesday. He passed away at the age of 47.
The sad news of Brian Gillis’ demise was confirmed by his former bandmate Brad Fischetti on the social networking platform Facebook. Read on to find out the cause behind the death of the musician.
LFO singer Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis has passed away
Brian is the third member of the band LFO to leave for the heavenly abode. In the year 2010, Rich Cronin passed away at the age of 36 after suffering a stroke while battling leukemia and Devin Lima died at 41 in 2018 due to adrenal cancer.
On Thursday, Gillis’ former bandmate Brad Fischetti confirmed the sad news on the official Facebook page of the band LFO. In the Facebook post, he also mentioned that he is not aware of the details of his former bandmate’s death. At the time of his passing, Brian was 47 years old.
Fischetti started by writing, “Every story is made up of chapters. Some develop naturally. Some you have to cut up in your mind. The first two chapters of the LFO story lost a main character yesterday. Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis passed away.”
He went on to say, “Today I honor my former bandmate and friend, Brizz. If you watched the LFO Story livestream or have seen the band and me play it live, you know what Brian meant to LFO. If it wasn’t for his hard work and dedication in the early days of LFO, the first two chapters, the LFO you came to know and (hopefully) love would not exist.”
Brad further added, “My relationship with Brian was complex. It contained moments of great tribulation but also of great joy. I learned a lot from him about the business of music and how to put together and rock a show. And it’s those positive aspects of our relationship that I will lean on now and forever.”
The musician continued, “I’ve prayed for Brian every day for many years. And I will continue to pray for him, for his beloved father, for his friends, his family, and those who loved him. Special prayers for Pistol Pete and Terry Edwards; two men who hold a special place in my heart and undoubtedly held a special place in Brian’s heart.”
He concluded, “I know that soon or maybe already, Brizz will be greeted by Rich and Devin. And I hope that together, they will make some sweet sounds. I would really like that. Rest east bro. Rest easy.”
When was the band LFO formed?
For those of you who are unaware, let us share with you, the pop band LFO which consisted of singers Brad Fischetti, Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis, and Rich Cronin was formed in New Bedford, Massachusetts, in 1995. LFO stands for Lyte Funkie Ones.
The 90’s popular band gained success with a remake of Yvonne Elliman’s If I Can’t Have You, which reached No. 54 on the UK Singles Chart. In the year 1997, they dropped a cover of the song Step By Step by New Kids on the Block.
In 1999, Brian decided to leave the band to put all his focus on his solo career. At that time, he was replaced by Devin Lima and the band continued to pursue their dreams of making it big. The band released their classic boy band smash “Summer Girls” in 1999. Their self-titled album saw the light of day in the same year.
Over the years, LFO disbanded and reunited many times
The 90’s pop band was managed by notorious boy band manager and convicted fraudster Lou Pearlman, who passed away in prison in the year 2016. Over the years, the band disbanded and reunited several times. Cronin and Lima’s deaths were also contributing factors for the same.
The group dropped their sophomore and final album, Life Is Good, in the summer of 2001. After a lack of record sales of the album, the band decided to part ways in February 2002. Then, the band reunited in June 2009 without Gillis.
LFO’s reunion didn’t last for a long period. On September 28, 2009, the band took to their YouTube page to announce that they had permanently disbanded. The group didn’t get the chance to record their third album due to Cronin’s death.
Then, the band reunited in 2017. They released their first new song titled Perfect 10 after a total of 15 years which featured then-surviving members Lima and Fischetti.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Fischetti said “We’re sincerely thankful and excited to have the opportunity to create new music and tour again. We miss the presence of our late great brother bandmate Rich Cronin. We will do our best to make him proud, carry on his legacy, and to usher LFO into the future.”
Some of the most famous songs of the band are as follows: Summer Girls, Girl on TV, Every Other Time, I Don’t Want to Kiss You Goodnight, You Heart is Safe With Me, The Way You Like It, Think About You, Cross My Heart, Can’t Have You, and Baby Be Mine.
In an earlier interview with Variety, Brad spoke about the nostalgia-fueled Pop2000 Tour and said, “I leave that stage and lose it — it’s like reliving losing them all over again. It’s an unfortunate honor to nurture the LFO legacy and there are times I think, ‘There’s too much pain. This LFO story’s a tragedy. Put it away, bro – there’s too much heartache.’ But I believe in making something good from something bad, and fans want this. They thank me for keeping Rich and Devin’s memories alive, so it’s my mission to honor them and LFO’s legacy and bring people back to a simpler time.”
Our love and prayers are with the close friends and the entire family of the former LFO member Brian “Brizz” Gillis during this hard time. May his soul rest in peace. Don’t forget to stay tuned with us for the latest updates from the world of showbiz.
