Kriti Mehrotra
While Francisco “Frankie” Vazquez Jr. could have only ever been described as loyal considering how he allegedly helped Lou Pearlman in his businesses, things didn’t pan out for him. In fact, as profiled in Netflix’s ‘Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam,’ alongside at least thousands of others, he actually ended up being scammed by the man he believed to be his close friend. After all, the boy band mogul ran a Ponzi scheme for over three decades, swindling not only wealthy investors but also acquaintances, employees, and loved ones for over $300 million.
Frankie Vazquez Was Lou Pearlman’s Trusted Confidante
Born in 1961 in Queens, New York, to Julia and Francisco Vazquez Sr. as one of their two children, Frankie learned the importance of hard work and perseverance at an early age. That’s because while his father was apparently a blue-collar man, his mother was a teacher, and they did their best to support him and his sister Jeanette Ramirez-Vazquez, plus their dreams. Thus, he knew he had to always give it his all if he wished to establish a career in aviation, which he ultimately managed to do with the help of his fellow building tenant, Lou Pearlman. According to the documentary, Airship International owner Lou had invited Frankie to Orlando, Florida, almost as soon as the latter had graduated from aviation high school.
Lou then opened up an opportunity for him to study blimps at one of his friends/business partners’ private facility in Germany, following which the pilot got a chance to hone his skills via practice. It turns out the trust between Lou and Frankie grew with each passing day, resulting in the latter being by his side every step of the way and even witnessing his launch in the entertainment industry. Therefore, as he saw the rise of the Trans Continental Companies, he decided to invest around $100,000 or so over the years, all the while also encouraging his mother to do the same in the hopes they would eventually receive high returns in the form of dividends.
Frankie Vazquez Was a Man of Many Hats
Although Frankie had a stable career in aviation under his trusted friend Lou’s employment following his relocation to Florida, the truth is he gradually also served as a business executive. Not only did he hold the title of Crew Chief before evolving into Operations Manager at the latter’s airship company in the early 1990s, but he later managed to earn a commercial pilot license too.
Then, once Lou launched his Trans Continental companies, Frankie was quickly appointed Vice President of Operations, after which he served as Property Manager at his historic Church Street Station recreation complex. He actually did so much for the latter that he was deemed its “Un-Official Mayor” after a point in time, especially as his duties comprised directly overseeing logistics, security, plus all other admin aspects on a daily basis. As if that’s not enough, in the years to go by, he even landed the job of Managing Member at his friend’s Exchange News Café, Exchange Lounge, the Cigar & Wine Club, as well as Pearl Steakhouse.
Frankie Vazquez Sadly Died in 2006
Unfortunately, everything turned upside down for Frankie in 2006 after he purportedly asked his employer/friend/life-long confidant if he could withdraw some of the money he’d invested or get some returns from it. After all, as per reports, Lou had subsequently told him he “was on his own” because the money was long gone, and there was no way of recovering any of it without even attempting to ask why or helping him in any way. This completely shattered his heart, especially since he’d dedicated the past decade or so of his life to him and his several businesses to ensure all-around success unescorted by any guile.
In the end, a mere few days later, Francisco “Frankie” Vazquez Jr. was discovered dead in the garage of his Orlando, Florida, home. A neighbor had dialed 911 after noticing the purr of a running car in his garage for several hours, only for the 45-year-old to be found in his white 1987 Porsche with a T-shirt wrapped around his head. This was November 12, 2006, and it was reported that he had died by suicide — one which many of Frankie’s friends believe stemmed from betrayal.
