Melanie Janene Thornton was born in Charleston, South
Carolina and began singing and learning to play the piano and the clarinet at
the age of six. She also financed her college studies with appearances in
talent shows and concerts with small bands. Melanie had always wanted to be a
singer and in February 1992, she decided to go to Germany with just $15.
Melanie rose to fame with her successful solo career in
Germany. Her hits include “Love How You Love Me”, “Wonderful Dream”,
“Memories” and “Heartbeat”. Before branching out to her solo career singer, she
was the lead singer for a Eurodance group, La Bouche, with hits such as “Be My
Lover” and “Sweet Dreams” in the mid-1990s. Her first solo single album was released in November 2000.
On the night of November 24, 2001 Melanie died in a plane
crash near Bassersdorf, Zurich in Switzerland. She was onboard Crossair flight
LX 3597 which was carrying 28 passengers and 5 crew members when it came down
due to poor weather conditions on its final approach to the airport. Only 9
passengers survived the crash. The
news was a tremendous shock to all her fans in Germany. She had just completed
her final performance in Leipzig before going to Berlin where she boarded the ill-fated
aircraft to Zurich for her radio and TV appearances to promote her new single
“Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming)” and her album Ready To Fly.
The song “Wonderful Dream” was a Christmas ballad recorded
for a German Coca-Cola TV commercial and it was so popular that it was also
used in the Christmas Coca-Cola TV in Ireland, UK, Belgium, The Netherlands,
Denmark and Sweden. To commemorate Melanie’s second anniversary of her death,
“Wonderful Dream (Holidays Are Coming)” were re-released with a music video and
the song has since remained one of the most popular Christmas songs in the
world, especially in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.
Melanie had always believed in leading a fulfilling life.
During her final interview just before her ill-fated flight, she had said: “I
know we don’t have any guarantee that we’re gonna live tomorrow. That’s why I
live everyday as if it was my last.”
