One pop music icon died penniless in his grandmother’s house after overdosing on heroin in tragic circumstances. Frankie Lymon shot to fame when he was still a child, part of Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers – modelled on the Jackson Five and discovered by The Valentines’ lead singer Richie Barrett.

Though he was thrust into the spotlight aged just 13, billed as the first black teenage pop star, Frankie’s life wasn’t easy. He and his band achieved international fame with their track Why Do Fools Fall in Love? – which was eventually covered by Diana Ross – and quickly embarked on a world tour. But i n a heartbreaking 1967 interview , Frankie admitted he had grown up too fast.

He told Ebony magazine: “I never was a child, although I was billed in every theatre and auditorium where I a

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