At age 12 in 1954, Lymon heard a local doo-wop group known as the Coupe De Villes at a school talent show.

He became friends with the lead singer Herman Santiago, and eventually became a member of the group, now calling itself both the Ermines and the Premiers.

One day in 1955, a neighbor gave the Premiers several love letters that had been written to him by his girlfriend, hoping to give the boys inspiration to write their own songs.

[citation needed] Goldner signed the group to Gee Records, and "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" became its first single in January 1956.

On a July 19, 1957, episode of Alan Freed's live ABC TV show The Big Beat, Lymon began dancing with a white teenage girl while performing.

After the marriage failed, Lymon moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s, where he began a romantic relationship with Zola Taylor, a member of the Platters.

Lymon's final television performance was on Hollywood a Go-Go in 1965, where he lip-synched to the recording of his 13-year-old self singing "Why Do Fools Fall in Love".

On June 21, 1966, Lymon was arrested on a heroin charge and was drafted into the United States Army in lieu of a jail sentence.

Dishonorably discharged from the Army,[citation needed] Lymon moved into his wife's home and continued to perform sporadically.

Traveling to New York in 1968, Lymon was signed by manager Sam Bray to his Big Apple label, and the singer returned to recording.

A major promotion had been arranged with CHO Associates, owned by radio personalities Frankie Crocker, Herb Hamlett, and Eddie O'Jay.

[citation needed] On February 27, 1968, Lymon was found dead on the floor of his grandmother's bathroom from a heroin overdose with a syringe by his side.

After Diana Ross returned "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" to the Top Ten in 1981, a major controversy concerning Lymon's estate ensued.

[23][24] However, the details of the case brought about another issue: whether mobster Morris Levy was deserving of the songwriting co-credit on "Why Do Fools Fall in Love".

Although their period of success was brief, Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers' string of hits were highly influential on the rock and R&B performers who followed them.

Lymon's high-voiced sound is said to be a direct predecessor of the girl group sound, and the list of performers who name him as an influence include Michael Jackson, Ronnie Spector, Diana Ross, the Chantels, the Temptations, George Clinton, Smokey Robinson, Len Barry, the Beach Boys and Billy Joel, among others.

[29] In 1973, Lymon became known to a slightly younger generation than before with the release of American Graffiti, which included "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" on its soundtrack.

[citation needed] The Fall referenced Lymon in "No X-mas for John Quays" on their March 1979 album Live at the Witch Trials.

Lymon is named as the one who cut off the waitress Sissy's finger for trying to help the protagonists, Mary and Clark Willingham, escape from the town of Rock & Roll Heaven, Oregon, which is inhabited by Janis Joplin, Otis Redding, Roy Orbison, and other musicians who died young.

[31] Lymon's music and story were eventually re-introduced to modern audiences with Why Do Fools Fall in Love, a 1998 biographical film directed by Gregory Nava, also the director of the Selena biopic.

Why Do Fools Fall in Love tells a comedic, fictionalized version of Lymon's story from the points of view of his three wives as they battle in court for the rights to his estate.

Why Do Fools Fall in Love was not a commercial success and met with mixed reviews;[32] the film grossed a total of $12,461,773 during its original theatrical run.