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CNN Live Today

Interview With Sonia Murray

Aired April 26, 2002 - 14:18   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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Fans of the popular hip-hop trio TLC are mourning the death of singer Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes. Lopes was killed in a car crash yesterday while vacationing in the central American country of Honduras. Several other people were also inside the car. She was the only one killed.

Lopes rose to stardom as a member of TLC and made headlines in 1994 for, among other things, when she set fire to the home of her former boyfriend, Andre Rison. The videotape you're watching now is new to us here at CNN. This from the scene of that accident from Honduras yesterday.

Again, Lisa Lopes is dead. She would have turned 31 sometime very soon. Meanwhile, Sonia Murray is a writer for the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution." She joins us by telephone to talk about the contributions to the music industry for TLC and Lisa Lopes, and many other things. Sonia, can you hear me OK?

SONIA MURRAY, "ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION": I can hear you fine.

HEMMER: Good afternoon to you. My sympathies to you. How well did you know her?

MURRAY: I've known her since the very beginning, when she performed at the Jack the Rapper convention, actually, before the record even came out.

HEMMER: What are you hearing, Sonia, about what happened in that car crash? How is it that Lisa paid with her life and no one else did?

I haven't heard all the details on it. From what I understand, she was driving, though. And it was a one-car collision. And from what I understand, that's what happened. I understand the other parties in the car are -- some of them were injured as well.

HEMMER: Tell us about the surviving members of TLC. How are they coping and reacting?

MURRAY: I haven't talked to them individually. I've talked to people who have reached them by two-way. Reached, actually, Rozanda, Chilli Thomas. And they've all said that she didn't really have much to say. That she's been crying. And, understandably, not having much to say at this point.

HEMMER: Gauge the loss for this group and for the music world.

MURRAY: Lisa is very much an intrinsic part of the group. It was T-Boz, Left-Eye and Chilli. And they've been around long enough, unlike a lot of acts that have had one record and maybe had some changes, in terms of line-ups. They've been around long enough to be established. And they were very individual, vibrant personalities.

HEMMER: What did you know about the album that was due out this summer?

MURRAY: It's been in progress for months now. And from what I understand, they'd been working with their long-term collaborator, as well as Raphael Sadiq, from Tony, Toni, Tone, and a number of producers here.

HEMMER: What did she contribute to the trio?

MURRAY: She was the rapper. As much as that she was incredibly vibrant personality, and I think a great deal of what sold TLC was who they were as individuals.

HEMMER: Can the group go on? It might be premature to talk about that question right now.

MURRAY: I couldn't even...

HEMMER: But go ahead.

MURRAY: I couldn't even speculate on something like that. It wasn't like there was a front person. And you know, two other people behind her, or that one person was in front of anyone else. They were all very important parts of the group.

HEMMER: Thank you, Sonia.

MURRAY: No problem.

HEMMER: Sonia Murray, writer for the "Atlanta Journal- Constitution" here in Atlanta.

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