rights to the song belonged to Herman Santiago and that Jimmy Merchant and Emira Lymon (the true widow) were also entitled to receive royalties dating back to 1969. Herman Santiago was by now homeless and living in a car when he received the news and soon went from being homeless to becoming a millionaire. However, in 1996 the ruling was reversed by the Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit (on the basis of the statute of limitations), and authorship of "Why Do Fools Fall in Love" currently remains solely in the names of Frankie Lymon and music publisher Morris Levy. The song is currently owned by EMI Music Publishing. Hall of Fame In 1993, the original members of "the Teenagers"—Herman Santiago, Frankie Lymon, Sherman Garnes, Joe Negroni and Jimmy Merchant—were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and in 2000 into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. In the 1998 film Why Do Fools Fall in Love, the role of Santiago was played by actor Alexis Cruz. See also List of Puerto Rican songwriters List of Puerto Ricans References External links History of Rock & roll 1941 births Living people Musicians from San Juan, Puerto Rico Singers from San Juan, Puerto Rico Puerto Rican male composers 20th-century Puerto Rican male singers The Teenagers members