Original LFO Member Brian 'Brizz' Gillis Dead - PEOPLE

Brian 'Brizz' Gillis, an original member of LFO, is dead.

Gillis held a spot as one-third of the boyband since its start in 1995 before leaving the group in 1998. His death was confirmed through an Instagram post by former bandmate Brad Fischetti, in which he explained that the singer died on Wednesday.

"Every story is made up of chapters," wrote Fischetti alongside a picture of Gillis, whom Extra reports was in his late 40s at the time of his death. "Some develop naturally. Some you have to cut up in your mind. The first two chapters of the LFO story lost a main character yesterday. Brian 'Brizz' Gillis passed away."

Continued Fischetti: "I don't have details, and it wouldn't be my place to share them if I did. I am really struggling to process this tragic loss. I've said it before, and I will continue to say it; the LFO Story is a tragedy. If you know what I've been doing, you know I'm trying to bring light into the darkness. Trying to find redemption in pain and suffering. Trying to honor the legacy."

Devon Lima, Rich Cronin and Brad Fischetti of LFO in 2001. Kevin Kane/WireImage

Gillis' death comes five years after fellow bandmate David Lima died at age 41 after having surgery to remove a football-size tumor caused by stage-four adrenal cancer. In 2010, the band's founder Rich Cronin died from leukemia at age 36.

"I know that soon or maybe already, Brizz will be greeted by Rich and Devin," added Fischetti in his post on Thursday. "And I hope that together, they will make some sweet sounds. I would really like that."

Fischetti added in his tribute to Gillis that without Gillis' "hard work and dedication in the early days of LFO, the first two chapters, the LFO you came to know and (hopefully) love would not exist."

Brian 'Brizz' Gillis. Rick Diamond/WireImage

Fischetti also touched on his relationship with Gillis, expressing that it contained "moments of great tribulation but also great joy."

"I learned a lot from him about the business of music and how to put together and rock a show. And it's those positive aspects of our relationship that I will lean on now and forever," wrote Fischetti. "I've prayed for Brian every day for many years. And I will continue to pray for him, for his beloved father, for his friends, his family, and those who loved him."

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Before Gillis' departure, the band would release two notable singles in 1997, including "(Sex U Up) The Way You Like It" and the New Kids on the Block cover "Step by Step." After success in the late 1990s with singles such as the 1999 release "Summer Girls," the band split in 2002.

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