LFO lead singer Rich Cronin dies of leukaemia at 35

Cronin, the writer of LFO's 1999 break-out hit 'Summer Girls,' suffered a stroke and died in the hospital this afternoon, his brother told the site.

Rich loses battle with leukemia
A native of Boston, Cronin lost his 5-year battle with leukemia two weeks after his 35th birthday, reports Daily Mail.

Cronin was diagnosed on March 28, 2005 with acute myelogenous leukemia and went through first round of chemotherapy the following month that same year.

Following his diagnoses, the singer set up a foundation to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Cronin was diagnosed on March 28, 2005 with acute myelogenous leukemia and went through first round of chemotherapy the following month that same year.

Manager confirms sad news
Cronin's manager Melissa Holland confirmed the singer’s death in a statement on his Facebook page, according to MTV.

"On behalf of the Cronin family and all at the Hope Foundation and [his record label] Orange Freeze, thank you so much for your kind words and thoughts. Continue to post them as a tribute to a great man, a better artist and the best friend I could ever have," Holland wrote.

Fellow boys post condolences on Facebook, Twitter
Meanwhile, several former boy banders have expressed their sadness over the sudden demise of Cronin, and paid their respects online, posting tributes on their social networking website pages.

Chris Kirkpatrick of *NSYNC fame wrote on his Facebook profile, "Rip to a great friend rich c."

Lance Bass, also of *NSYNC, tweeted: "Sad sad day that Rich Cronin died- was an amazing guy."

Band mate Brad Fischetti wrote, "Thank you for all the kind messages. Devin [Lima] and I will miss our brother Rich. May he rest in peace with our Lord in Heaven. Please pray for his family."

About LFO
Founded in 1995, LFO, or the Lyte Funky Ones, was an American three-man pop/rap group consisting of Rich Cronin (born Aug. 30, 1975, Devin Lima (born March 18, 1977), and Brad Fischetti (born Sep. 11, 1975).

Before Lima, Brian Gillis, known as 'Brizz,' was the third member of the band. The LFO members broke up in 2002 to pursue other endeavors.

LFO is best known for the 1999 beach-y hit 'Summer Girls,' which included the lyric penned by Cronin, 'I like girls that wear Abercrombie & Fitch.'

The band’s 'Summer Girls' hit #3 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Single Sales chart for six weeks. The follow-up, 'Girl on TV,' reached No. 10.

The video for 'Girls on TV' featured Cronin’s then-girlfriend Jennifer Love Hewitt.

They signed a deal with Lou Pearlman, the now-imprisoned pop impresario behind 'N Sync and the Backstreet Boys.