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The founding member of the pop and hip hop band LFO or Lyte Funkie Ones, Brian "Brizz" Gillis, passed away on Wednesday, March 29, 2023, at the age of 47. One of his bandmates, Brad Fischetti, paid tribute to Gillis on Instagram by sharing a black-and-white picture.
Fischetti 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 a main character yesterday. Brian 'Brizz' Gillis passed away. I don't have details and it wouldn't be my place to share them if I did."
Fischetti added that he is struggling to process the loss and trying to bring light into darkness alongside finding redemption in pain and suffering. Stating that they are trying to honor the vocalist's legacy, the post continued to say that anyone who has watched the band play live knew what Brian meant to LFO.
He said that if it wasn't for the vocalist's hard work and dedication in the band's early days, in the "first two chapters," the band wouldn't have existed.
Brad recalled his friendship with Brian Gillis and said that it had a lot of great moments and joy and that he learned a lot about the music business from Brian. Brad wrote that he will continue to use his knowledge in the future.
Brad ended by saying that he will pray for Brian Gillis' family like he did all these years. Fischetti even mentioned Pistol Pete and Terry Edwards, who had a special place in Brian's heart over the years.
Brian Gillis, LFO members, and the band's history
The band LFO or Lyte Funkie Ones was founded in 1995 by Brian Gillis, Rich Cronin, and Brad Fischetti. The group's debut single was The Way You Like It, which was released in 1997 followed by Step by Step the same year. Their third single, Can't Have You, was released in 1998.
However, Gillis exited the band after the release of their third song and pursued a solo career where he worked on college tours. The other two members organized an audition where a hardware store employee, Devin Lima, joined the band.
The band was under contract with Trans Continental and Arista Records, they recorded new material and released another single, Summer Girls. Their self-titled debut album was released in August 1999 and reached the 21st spot on the US Billboard 200. The band started performing at concerts in 2000.
Their second album, Life Is Good, was released in 2001 but failed to receive a positive response. The band separated in 2002 and all three members pursued their respective solo careers.
Rich Cronin's solo album, Billion Dollar Sound, was released in 2008 and he appeared on the VH1 reality show, Mission: Man Band. He later contracted leukemia and passed away in 2010.
Devin Lima first released a record called Mozart Popart with his new band The Cadbury Diesel. He formed another group called The Mack Pack with DJ Shakka and Ayj, and they released two songs – Golden and Out of Control. He later collaborated with Fischetti and released an EP called Xiles X-Mas in December 2009.
The short-lived reunions of LFO
LFO planned on going to the Malcolm Douglas Tribute Tour in 2009 but they revealed on a YouTube channel that they were permanently disbanded.
LFO released a new single, Perfect 10, in July 2017. Devin was diagnosed with stage 4 adrenal cancer, which led to his death in November 2018. Fischetti then went on tour with the boy band O-Town and performed the band's singles as a tribute to the rest of the members.
No additional details of Brian Gillis' death or his family were provided at the time of writing this article.
