TLC bandmates pay tribute to Lisa 'Left Eye'

The surviving members of TLC say Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes was like a sister to them.

Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins and Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas have paid tribute to the singer.

She was killed in a car crash in Honduras.

Her bandmates said: "We had all grown up together and were as close as a family. Today we have truly lost our sister."

Laura Swanson, a spokeswoman for TLC's record label Arista, said Lopes went frequently to Honduras to holiday. "She just found it really peaceful and tranquil, and it was a very special place for her," she said.

Her manager has flown to Honduras to bring her body back to the US.

TLC have had a stormy career since first hitting the charts in 1992.

In 1994, Lopes pleaded guilty to arson after a fire destroyed the mansion of her boyfriend Andre Rison. She was sentenced to attend a "halfway house" and given five years' probation and a $10,000 (€11,110) fine.

They later split up, reunited and broke up again, but announced last year they planned to get married.

In 2000, after the release of TLC's triple platinum album Fanmail, Lopes publicly challenged Watkins and Thomas to put out solo albums and let fans determine who was the most popular group member.