Biography:

Richard Burton Cronin (August 30, 1974 – September 8, 2010) was an American singer, songwriter and rapper, best known for being the lead singer and primary songwriter for the pop and hip hop group LFO.

Early life and education

Cronin was born in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, on August 30, 1974, the son of Richard and Doris (Eddy) Cronin.^[2] He grew up in Kingston, Massachusetts, and was of Irish and Swedish ancestry. He had a brother Michael and a sister Cassandra.^[3] Cronin attended Sacred Heart High School, graduating in 1993. He also attended Bridgewater State College and worked part-time in a Blockbuster video store.^[4]

Career

LFO

Cronin was a founding member of the pop group LFO. The group started in Germany on BMG in 1997 with member Brian Gillis, aka “Brizz”. In the spring 1998, the group opened for *NSYNC and by this time were signed to BMG/Logic Records in the U.S. They were labeled as the “bad boys of pop” and cited The Beastie Boys and New Edition as influences. They released two singles “Sex U Up (The Way You Like It)” and “Can’t Have You” with original member Brian Gillis, who left the group frustrated with the direction of the group and lack of success. Rich’s brother Mike Cronin was a manager for the pop group O-Town.

Harold “Devin” Lima was added to the group to replace Brian Gillis six months before the hit “Summer Girls” was released. By this time, the group had transitioned from Logic Records to Arista Records. Executive Clive Davis worked closely with Cronin on the group’s self-titled debut album.

The group’s breakout hit “Summer Girls” was written by Cronin in 1999, hit #3 on Billboard’s Hot 100, and was #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Single Sales chart for six weeks. The single also went platinum in the U.S. with sales of over 1 million units.

The group’s second album Life is Good was released on Davis’ new label, J Records, with Cronin writing or co-writing each song on the album. The group had success with the album’s first single “Every Other Time”. LFO disbanded in 2002.^[3]

Credits: