TLC’s Chilli ‘Didn’t Listen to the Radio for a Long Time’ After Left Eye’s Death: ‘You Don’t Wanna Hear Any of That’

usmagazine.com:

A painful loss. TLC’s Chilli opened up to Us Weekly about the aftermath of her bandmate Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes’ death.“I remember I didn’t listen to the radio for a long time ‘cause I didn’t wanna hear reports about her,” the 52-year-old singer exclusively told Us while promoting the upcoming documentary TLC Forever, which will be simulcast on both Lifetime and A&E Saturday, June 3, at 8 p.m.

ET.Left Eye died at age 30 after a car crash in Honduras in April 2002. She contributed to TLC’s first four studio albums, including 3D, which was finalized and released after her death.

Chilli revealed that she and her fellow TLC musician Tionne “T-Boz” Watkins avoided going “to the mall” in the wake of the tragedy.“We didn’t want people coming up, saying, ‘Oh, I’m so sorry,’” the singer explained. “And I know that they meant well, but when you’re in pain, you just don’t wanna hear any of that.

It took me a long time to refer to her in the past [tense], because I couldn’t believe it. And I think it has so much to do with, when you’re young like that, you think you’re invincible.”Although losing her fellow “Waterfall” songstress was devastating, Chilli was “so thankful” that she had spoken to Left Eye shortly before her death.“I was talking to her [when] she was over there [in Honduras], and I was like, ‘When are you coming back?’ … I said, ‘When you get in town, just come over.’ ‘Cause I wanted that bonding time with her,” she recalled. “And we were so excited and looking forward to that, and even though it crushed me too that that didn’t happen, I was still happy that we had plans to get together and we were just on a good note.