caption associated_acts death_date death_place years_active alias birth_place label name background birth_date instrument genre image article_title birth_name occupation
frankie the 1950s . lymon as a member of the teenagers in the alan freed teenagers , little richard , the platters , 27 february 1968 washington heights , new york 1954 & ndash ; 1968 franklin joseph lineman harlem , new york gee , big kat , roulette frankie lymon solo_singer 30 september 1942 vocals rhythm , pop , swing and blues , doo-wop , rock and roll frankie + lymon.jpg frankie lymon
 franklin joseph lymon singer/songwriter
frankie lymon

franklin joseph `` frankie '' lymon -lrb- september 30 , 1942 -- february 27 , 1968 -rrb- was an american rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter , best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the new york city-based early rock and roll group , the teenagers .
the group was composed of five boys , all in their early to mid teens .
the original lineup of the teenagers , an integrated group , included three african american members , frankie lymon , jimmy merchant and sherman garnes , and two puerto rican members , herman santiago and joe negroni .
the teenagers ' first single , 1956 's `` why do fools fall in love '' , was also their biggest hit .
after lymon went solo in mid-1957 , both his career and those of the teenagers fell into decline .
he was found dead at the age of 25 in his grandmother 's bathroom from a heroin overdose .
his life was dramatized in the 1998 film `` why do fools fall in love '' .
