Anthony Ulysses "Tony" Thompson, Jr. was an American singer–songwriter. Thompson was best known as the lead vocalist of the American R&B quintet Hi-Five, which had hit singles such as "I Like the Way " and "I Can't Wait Another Minute". After the group disbanded in 1994, Thompson found solo success the following year with his debut album Sexsational in 1995. After leaving Giant Records, Thompson was signed to Bad Boy Records; however, he never was able to release an album under them due to his struggles with drug abuse. In later years, Thompson formed his own record label and released an album with the newly formed Hi-Five group in 2005. He died on June 1, 2007 in Waco, Texas at age 31.
Biography
Thompson was born in Waco, Texas and raised in Oklahoma City. He was named after his father, Anthony Thompson, Sr. In 1984, he started singing solos in the localchurch choir at the age of eight. He then started singing in local talent shows. Local talent and up-and-coming artist William Walton reached out to Thompson in hopes of making his music dreams a reality. He was noticed by the first R&B group signed by Jive Records, which consisted of Toriano Easley, Marcus Sanders, Russell Neal, and Roderick "Pooh" Clark who were also from Waco. Taking the name Hi-Five, the group signed with Jive Records in 1990. The quintet's self-titled debut album went platinum and produced several hits, including "I Like the Way ", "I Can't Wait Another Minute", and "Just Another Girlfriend". In 1992, the group released their second album, Keep It Goin' On, with "She's Playing Hard to Get" and "Quality Time". Their third album, Faithful, was released in 1993.
Thompson's only solo album, Sexsational, was released on Giant Records in 1995. Thompson formed his own record label, N'Depth, and re-incarnated Hi-Five with four new members. The group's next album, The Return was released in 2005.
Death
On June 1, 2007, Thompson's body was discovered by security officers at around 10 p.m. near an air-conditioning unit outside of an apartment complex in his native Waco, Texas. An autopsy later determined that he had died from "toxic effects of chlorodifluoromethane," or inhaling a toxic amount of freon. He is buried at Doris MillerMemorial Park in Waco.
