You never know what goes on behind the scenes. Case in point: Leanne “LeLee” Lyons of SWV, who recently opened up about her thoughts of suicide.
Lyons’ confession came during an appearance with fellow SWV members Cheryl “Coko” Clemons and Tamara “Taj” George to promote their hit WeTV reality show “SWV: Reunited” on the “Bethenny” show.
According to the entertainer, ending her life became an option after SWV broke up in the late ‘90s.
“I was very depressed. I mean I got to the point where I was just going to end my life. It was that bad. If I couldn’t have, what I had before, if I couldn’t have SWV and be who I was, as the world knew me as, I wanted to die,” Lyons told Bethenny Frankel. “I really believe, I mean, I can’t self diagnose myself but something was d*mn wrong with me!”
Things continued to spiral downward for Lyons as she started missing performances and all three members of SWV were at odds with each other personally and professionally. Despite a request from RCA Records to replace Lyons, Coko and Taj fought to keep her in the group. Rather than split, Coko signed a deal with RCA to go solo. The result was her 1999 solo debut “Hot Coko.”
For Lyons, the situation reached a crucial point. A point where she reached out for a lifeline.
“I was at the Marriott Marquee on 42nd Street and umm, I was up to my last $150,” Lyons shared. “I was like, ‘Damn, I can’t afford to be in here another night. So, I called my sister, one of my sisters and she didn’t answer the phone. I called my other sister. It was no conversation. This is how the spirit works. I’m telling you because, all she said was, ‘Just come home.’ And we just was crying. I went in that hotel, looked in the mirror and I just cried. I’m like, ‘What were you thinking?’ Had she not answered that phone, I probably wouldn’t be here today.”
With Lyons in two, SWV reunited in 2005 at a “Summer Jam” concert for the now defunct 100.1 The Beat in Los Angeles. The reunion soon gave way to a new life for the trio as they performed sporadic concert dates and short tours and signed a new recording contract with Mass Appeal Entertainment/eOne and a deal for their reality series with WE TV.
