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CNN Live At Daybreak

Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes Dies in Honduras Car Accident

Aired April 26, 2002 - 05:45   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The music industry is waking up this morning to shocking news that hip-hop star Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes is dead.

Joining us now with reaction to this is entertainment reporter Tara Thomas of Atlanta radio station V-103.

Good morning, Tara.

TARA THOMAS, V-103 PRODUCER: Good morning, sorry that we had to meet under these circumstances.

COSTELLO: Boy, you're not kidding. All we know is that Lisa Lopes was in a car with seven people in Honduras and she was the only one killed. Do you know any more about the accident?

THOMAS: No, I don't. Actually, I received a phone call of -- around 1:30 this morning, and there was a little buzz going around that she had passed away. But you know with entertainment stories like that you definitely have to check and recheck. And I called an executive at Arista Records and found out that it was true. So that's about the gist of the story that we know as right now.

COSTELLO: Tell us what she meant to the hip-hop world.

THOMAS: A lot. She was part of the biggest selling female group of all time. I don't know how it will rock the industry, but her group she will certainly be missed. You know in her group she is the wrapper, technically, in the group, but all of them are fair contributors to the group and I think that she will be sorely missed.

COSTELLO: You know she's had such a rough time in her life. Tell us a little bit about her history.

THOMAS: Well you know an abusive background, abusive father, relationships that could be considered abusive. I think that was pretty consistent. But she was very successful, successful in her career. Her other ventures she was very successful in. So you know that's pretty much the history with her, always controversial but very, very important to the music industry.

COSTELLO: Yes, of course many people remember her with the incident with Andre Risen, her boyfriend at the time or husband, when she burned down his house. But then all was forgiven and they seemed to be getting back together but that didn't happen.

THOMAS: Right.

COSTELLO: And I understand that she really was turning her life around. She had changed her name and her record label.

THOMAS: Well she was still with La Face Records with TLC, but I understand she signed as a solo artist with Tha Row Records, which was formerly Death Row Records, and she was going to record under the name Nina (ph).

COSTELLO: And her funeral, of course, will probably be held in Atlanta?

THOMAS: From what I understand it will be held in Atlanta, and they are currently transporting her body back to Hartsfield Airport as we speak.

COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Tara, for joining us this morning.

We'll talk more about Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes in our next hour of DAYBREAK.

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