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CNN Live Today

Fans Pay Respects to Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes

Aired May 02, 2002 - 14:28   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: Suburban Atlanta now, thousands paying their last respects to Lisa Lopes today. Some are ordinary fans who traveled all night and waited in very long lines, hoping to get a seat inside the church. And there are others of much higher fame.

Kendis Gibson is covering the singer's funeral, again, east of Atlanta, with us.

Kendis, good afternoon.

KENDIS GIBSON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Bill, the service is just about wrapping up here in Lithonia, GA. The thousands of mourners who are inside are about to come out. The casket as well is going to be coming out as well, within the next few minutes.

All of these folks came in for what was a two and a half hour service to remember Lisa "Left-Eye" Lopes.

Go off, over there, to that end of the church, and you will see just some of the people who came to see her, estimates being about 10,000 people came here to say goodbye to her.

We do have some video, though, that shows you a better look at the crowd that came here to say goodbye to the R&B singer.

The majority of those people really didn't even know her, just knew her music, from the R&B group TLC. She spent several years with them, some good 10 years with them, and it was the biggest selling girl group of all time, bigger than Destiny's Child or the Supremes. That is in part the reason for so many folks that you saw there.

And a lot of the people who are online a little bit earlier this morning, you can hear their cries as reality set in when they saw the casket. The casket was rolled in just about a couple of hours before the service, and rolled in before many of the folks were allowed inside.

Let me come back on camera and talk to this man, right here, who was inside. And you saw and listened to the service. What did you think?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was a beautiful service. Everybody was pretty somber and everything like that. It was just a really, really nice service. The minister's words were very heart-touching, as far as basically telling everyone to appreciate each day and let's just live life to the fullest.

GIBSON: All right, thanks a lot.

Now, there were many celebrities who were inside, including Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston, the singer, Brandy, just to name a few. But by far, I'd say probably one of the more emotional parts of the service, I was inside. This group, Egypt, probably not too many people know exactly who they are. But Lisa Lopes produced them.

And they were in the car, the three girls of Egypt were inside the car, when the crash happened, the crash that killed Lisa Lopes. The girls were injured. They were on crutches. They had a cast on. But they hobbled on stage and drowned their sorrows in song to Lisa. Just really, not a dry eye in the entire place at that time.

Once again, the funeral wrapping up here in Lithonia, Georgia. I'm Kendis Gibson. But you know, look around and you'll see a good number of folks that are still around this area at this time.

Were you guys inside the church for the service? What did you think of the service?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Excellent service. Good celebration of life.

GIBSON: What was the most touching part about it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I would agree with you when you said the part about Egypt. That group really touched me. To see them hurt and walk up on the stage, it really touched me. It did.

GIBSON: You didn't know Left Eye yourself, did you?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I met her a couple of times. As they say, she was a good people's person.

GIBSON: Thanks a lot. A lot of people though, definitely mourning, saying goodbye here in Lithonia, Georgia. Back to you, Bill.

HEMMER: Kendis, thank you. Celebration of life, as you put it very well. Thank you very much.

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