Tombstone of Frankie Lymon
The tombstone of Frankie Lymon, the headstone of Frankie Lymon, or the second tombstone of Frankie Lymon is a tombstone of the American boy soprano lead singer of the Teenagers Frankie Lymon, exhibited at the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame in the Historical Museum of Bay County, Bay City. Initially, it was located at the backyard of Pam Nardella in Elmwood Park, New Jersey. The tombstone is made of granite, 33 inches (84 cm) high, 27 inches (69 cm) wide, 8 inches (20 cm) deep, and weighs more than 1,000 pounds (450 kg), due to the granite base.[1][2][3]
The tombstone also emphasizes with a cross and flowers.
History
20 years after the death of Lymon, in Clinton, New Jersey, one of the fans–members of the United in Group Harmony Association (UGHA)–led by the owner of the Clifton Music Record shop Ronnie Italiano kept a tombstone through donation. Because of this, Lymon married three wives, and one of the wives hurried and placed her own tombstone on Lymon's grave at the Bronx cemetery since it was unmarked, being "forged out of love." Therefore, the tombstone was relocated at the garden in New Jersey from Clifton Record Shop. 19 years later, the tombstone was placed at the Ronni I's record store. In response to this, fans were demanding to have the tombstone erected on the unmarked grave in the Bronx. However, it was ceased due to estate battles among Lymon's three wives, same reason that happened in 1988. On that following year, Italiano died at 67 and the UGHA became less active. [3][4][5][6][7]
Later, Scott and Michael Rullis from Monroe Monuments brought the tombstone to the museum at Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame on January 14, 2021, becoming the first artifact that arrived at the Historical Museum of Bay County. In addition to the tombstone becoming the first artifact, several Serenus Johnson crew members worked variety of construction projects at the museum while being shut down and brought the crate containing the tombstone that remained for several months. According to Mike Bacigalupo, the tombstone is "a big tell-tale story" and that people would relate with the tombstone based on its origin. The walls and floor of the gallery was repainted and the tombstone was relocated to the second floor.[3][8]
Location
As of 2021, the tombstone was placed in the center of the gallery floor, along with the 120 framed photographs of the inductees. The photographs were on the wall facing the tombstone.[8]
Epitaph
The epitaph of the tombstone reads:
| IN MEMORY OF FRANKIE LYMON
|
References
- ^ "Frankie Lymon's Tombstone Blues 9: The Museum". Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Fitzpatrick, Sam. "The Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame fine tunes its Bay City exhibit". Route Bay City. Issue Media Group. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ a b c "Headstone of late doo-wop star Frankie Lymon stood in NJ backyard for years. Now it's headed to a museum". News12 New Jersey. N12N. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ "Weird NJ: Frankie Lymon's tombstone sits in an NJ backyard". www.app.com. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Gottlieb, Martin (17 Jan 1993). "POP MUSIC; The Durability of Doo-Wop". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Kuperinsky, Amy. "How a Music Legend's Tombstone Landed in a NJ Woman's Backyard (and where it's going next)". Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ Wilson, Scott (2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More than 14,000 Famous Persons. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Company. p. 461. ISBN 978-0-7864-7992-4. Retrieved 1 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Frankie Lymon's Tombstone Blues 9: The Museum". Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. Michigan Rock and Roll Legends. Retrieved 1 June 2025.