Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis, original LFO member, dies aged 47

Brad Fischetti recently shared a tribute Brian ‘Brizz’ Gilliswhich reveals that the former LFO member died. Gillis was an original member of the famous boy band, but left the group in 1999.

Gillis’ death comes about five years after former bandmate David Lima died during surgery to remove a tumor. Another bandmate, Rich Cronin, died of leukemia in 2010, and Fischetti mentioned them both in his tribute.

Fischetti also praised Gillis’ “hard work and dedication” and said it was a time of great trial and joy. Before LFO split up in 2002, they released a number of hits such as ‘Summer Girls’ and ‘Step by Step’.

Read on to learn more.

Brad Fischetti revealed that Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis had recently died

Former LFO bandmate Brad Fischetti recently revealed it in a tribute post Instagram original band member Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis has died. Gillis was one of the three original members of the famous boy band that started in 1995, but left three years later in 1998.

Fischetti posted a photo of the late Gillis in the tribute post and revealed that he died on Wednesday. He wrote: “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 the main character yesterday. Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis has passed away.

Fischetti further shared that he doesn’t have many details about Gillis’ death and knows it’s not his place to share them. He added: “I am really struggling to come to terms with this tragic loss. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; the LFO Story is a tragedy. If you know what I’ve been doing, you know I’m trying to bring light to the darkness. Try to find redemption in pain and suffering. We try to respect the heritage.”

Two other bandmates died of cancer

By calling the “LFO story” a tragedy, Fischetti was likely referring to the deaths of several former band members. Gillis’ death comes about five years after former bandmate David Lima died during surgery to remove a large tumor. The tumor was caused by stage four adrenal cancer and was said to be the size of a football.

In 2010, LFO founder Rich Cronin died at age 36 of a stroke while undergoing treatment for leukemia. He was first diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia in 2005 and battled the cancer for years. Shortly after his remission in 2007, the singer launched the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation to raise awareness of leukemia.

In his tribute, Fischetti mentioned Lima and Cronin, saying all the original bandmates would soon be together. He wrote: “I know Brizzt will be welcomed by Rich and Devin soon or maybe already. And I hope they make sweet sounds together. I’d like that.”

Brad Fischetti praises Brian ‘Brizz’ Gillis in his tribute

In the tribute, Fischetti also praised Late Gillis for his “hard work and dedication in the early days of LFO” and wrote that the band’s success would never have happened without him. She also wrote about her relationship with Gillis, stating that it had “great trials, but also moments of great joy”.

Fischetti said he learned a lot from Gillis about the music industry, how to lead a band and how to “rock a show.” He concluded his tribute by saying: “I have been praying for Brian every day for years. And I will continue to pray for him, his beloved father, his friends, his family and those who loved him.”

The band released several hits before disbanding

Before Gillis left the band in 1999, LFO released two popular songs in 1997, including “Step by Step”, a cover of New Kids on the Block. The second hit was “(Sex U Up) The Way You Like It”.

The band then increased their popularity with 1999’s ‘Summer Girls’, which peaked at number 3 on the Billboard music charts. In total, LFC sold more than four million records worldwide before the members decided to split up.

After Cronin’s death from cancer in 2010, the boy band disbanded and briefly reunited in 2017. However, in the second meeting, only Fischetti and Devin Lima were paired until Lima died about a year later.