Melanie was a black American pop singer .
`` Melanie Janene Thornton ( May 13 , 1967 - November 24 , 2001 ) was an black American pop singer who fronted the Eurodance group La Bouche , who formed hits such as `` '' Be My Lover '' '' and `` '' Sweet Dreams '' '' in the mid-1990s . ''
Melanie Thornton