LFO’s Cronin Dies

Rich Cronin, frontman for boy band LFO, died of leukemia Sept. 8. Cronin wrote the band’s breezy 1999 hit “Summer Girls,” known for ridiculous fun couplets like “New Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits / Chinese food makes me sick.”

LFO, short for “Lyte Funky Ones,” was one of Lou Pearlman’s many projects, and Cronin spoke out against his former manager in 2009, saying “I’ve had to go to therapy. … He’s a really creepy guy” and said Pearlman had many inappropriate relations with his clients.

Cronin was diagnosed with myelogenous leukemia in 2005 and founded the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation. He was part of a VH1 reality series called “Mission: Man Band” in 2007 that followed former boy band members trying to revive their careers in a new band.