We all have a favorite one-hit wonder that song you just can't help but sing or dance
along to every time you hear it.
But as is the nature of one-hit wonders, we often have no idea what happened to their
performers after that initial success.
In fact, you may not even realize that several of your favorite one-hit wonders have sadly
passed away.
Rich Cronin Run up to any '80s or '90s baby and say, "New
Kids on the Block had a bunch of hits," and they're pretty much guaranteed to respond
with, "Chinese food makes me sick!"
For those of you who are still trying to figure out what the New Kids have to do with Asian
cuisine, these lyrics are actually the chorus of the uber-popular 1999 hit "Summer Girls"
by the boy band LFO.
The group consisted of Devin Lima, Brad Fischetti, and Rich Cronin.
They were TRL posterboys and their catchy, fun-loving jam was on heavy rotation.
After complaining of painful headaches, Cronin was diagnosed with a form of blood cancer
in 2005.
That same year, he established the Rich Cronin Hope Foundation to bring awareness to the
importance of the volunteer bone marrow registry.
He was able to bounce back from his health crisis and in 2008 released a solo album called
Billion Dollar Sound.
He also appeared as a cast member on the VH1 reality show Mission: Man Band.
Cronin announced that he was back in the studio in 2010, but we never got to hear what he
was working on.
He passed away on September 8, 2010 after suffering a stroke at the age of 35.
Michael Cuccione To capitalize on the popularity of boy bands
in the '90s and early-2000s, the fictional group 2Gether was created.
A self-titled MTV movie parody followed, along with a spin-off series that chronicled the
formation of the band.
The made-for-TV film became so popular that the guys became real-life pop stars.
Among the characters was Michael Cuccione, who played Jason "Q.T."
Mcknight.
When the MTV spin-off series aired, Cuccione was noticeably absent from the last few episodes.
His character suffered from a fictional ailment, but in real life, Cuccione was battling health
issues, too.
At the age of 9, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma.
After successful rounds of chemotherapy and a bone marrow transplant, his uncle told MTV
News that he was cancer-free.
But the treatments left him with respiratory issues that claimed his life just eight days
after his 16th birthday.
Melanie Thornton Along with her bandmate Lane McCray, Melanie
Thornton helped form the '90s group La Bouche.
Their Euro-inspired pop songs boomed through the speakers of nightclubs across the globe,
and their most popular hit, "Be My Lover," peaked at number 6 on the Billboard charts.
By 2000, Thornton decided to leave the group behind, and she released her first and last
solo album called Ready to Fly in May 2001.
On November 24th, 2001, Thornton was aboard a plane traveling from Berlin to Zurich which
crashed just a few miles short of its final destination, killing her and 23 other passengers.
She was 34.
Natina Reed Shamari Fears, Brandi Williams, and Natina
Reed started the 90's girl group Blaque, and their most successful song, "Bring it all
to Me," hit number 5 on the Billboard charts.
Many compared the group to a younger version of TLC, and Reed's style was similar to TLC
group member Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, who took her under her wing as her protegé.
In 2000, Reed starred in the hit Kirsten Dunst flick Bring it On, but her future in the entertainment
industry was cut short.
On October 26, 2012, Reed was walking along a Georgia roadway when a vehicle struck her.
The driver called 911, and Reed was transported to a hospital, where she died.
She was 32 years old and left behind a 10-year-old son.
Dan Hartman He may be dismissed by some as a one-hit wonder,
but Dan Hartman was actually an accomplished producer and songwriter who penned hits for
James Brown, Tina Turner, and Joe Cocker.
As a solo singer, Hartman made the Billboard Top 100 Chart multiple times, though his most
well-known jam, "I Can Dream About You," was his only song to crack the top ten.
That was in 1984, and just ten years later, he succumbed to a brain tumor, which was a
complication from AIDS.
Minnie Riperton Long before Mariah Carey blew listeners away
with her nearly ear-piercing high-octave range, singer/songwriter Minnie Riperton secured
her place in vocalist history with the high note in "Lovin' You."
According to Riperton's husband, singer/songwriter Richard Rudolph, "Lovin' You" originated from
a melody Riperton was humming over a "jazz samba" he was playing while she cooked a meal.
They recorded the melody to use as a distraction for their new baby, Maya, who quote "never
wanted her mama out of her sight."
In case you missed that, yes, we're talking about a young Maya Rudolph of SNL fame.
Riperton passed away just four years after "Lovin' You" made it all the way to the number
1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100.
Stuart Adamson The UK pop band Big Country found international
success with the track "In a Big Country."
MTV's heavy rotation of the accompanying music video catapulted it onto the Billboard Hot
100, despite the fact that it received little radio airplay.
The band continued making albums for more than a decade after its smash debut, but the
group never repeated its initial success.The band was on hiatus after a brief reunion tour
when lead singer Stuart Adamson's body was found in a hotel room in Hawaii after he'd
been declared missing for more than a month.
Adamson's death was ruled a suicide.
He was 34.
Simone Battle The creator of the Pussycat Dolls used the
same formula of beautiful women, skimpy outfits, and girl power songs to create the pop group
G.R.L.
Its members Emmalyn Estrada, Paula van Oppen, Lauren Bennett, Natasha Slayton, and Simone
Battle began recording songs in 2013 and really broke out when they were featured on the Pitbull
track "Wild Wild Love."
Then, tragedy struck.
Battle was found hanging in her Hollywood home on September 5th, 2014, and her death
was ruled a suicide.
Friends and family told investigators Battle was allegedly suffering from depression and
struggling with money issues.
Though the group had just returned from a successful overseas tour, sources claimed
Battle feared G.R.L. would never become a huge hit in the States.
G.R.L. attempted to continue performing after Battle's death but disbanded nine months later.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).