The Source |Rappers Who Died of Health, Accidents, or Natural Causes – The Source

There has been a great deal of news around the rappers who have met their untimely deaths due to drug use or violence. After all, such topics generally make sensationalized news stories. However, many rappers have also met tragic endings due to the types of causes that can take us all- illness, accidents, or other health conditions. Heres our tribute to the rappers that died too soon due to health, accidents, or natural causes.

Darren Robinson (June 10, 1967 December 10, 1995), otherwise known asBig Buff,Buff Love,Buffy,The Human Beat Box, andDJ Doctor Nice, was a pioneer in beatboxing as well as a member of the 1980ship hopgroupthe Fat Boys. In 1995, weighing 450lbs. at the time, he was diagnosed withlymphedema or fluid buildup. He died of aheart attack 24 years ago on December 10, 1995.

Another untimely death in 1995 was that of Eric Eazy-EWright (September 7, 1964 March 26, 1995). , AIDS (1995). He was one of theoriginal West coast rappers and a founding member of N.W.A alone with Ice Cubeand Dr. Dre. He was largely responsible for the iconic Straight OuttaCompton album as well as several solo hits. In the spring of 1995, heentered the hospital with what he expected to be bronchitis. He was diagnosedwith AIDS, and due to the lack of medication that is present today, he diedalmost immediately after announcing his illness to the public on March 26,1995.

Big Pun (November 10, 1971 February 7, 2000), born ChristopherLee Rios, was one of the most influential rappers of New Yorks underground rapscene in the 1990s. With a highly technical and fast-paced lyrical style, hewas regarded as one of the best MCs in New York. After appearing on albums withFat Joe, he struck out on his own in 1997 with Capital Punishment, his debutstudio album. It peaked at #5 on theBillboard200in 1998, becomingthe first solo hip hop record by a Latino artist to goPlatinum. Big Pun struggled with weight his whole life,reportedly weighing upwards of 698 pounds at the time of his death. On February 5, 2000, he suffered a heart attackin New York. Paramedics were unable to retrieve him and he died. He was 28.

Lisa Left Eye Lopes (May 27, 1971 April 25, 2002) remains one of the most influential women in hip-hop. One-third of TLC, alongsideTionne T-Boz WatkinsandRozonda Chilli Thomas, Lopes was credited with writing many of the groups songs as well as designing many of their outfits. She won four Grammy awards with TLC before embarking on a short solo career. On April 25, 2002, she was in Honduras doing charity work and working on a documentary when she tried to avoid a head-on collision and instead drove off the road. She was killed immediately.

James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 February 10, 2006), aka J Dilla, was a Detroit-based rapper and producer and one-third of the acclaimed underground group Slum Village. Along with successful solo ventures, he also collaborated with A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, The Roots, The Pharcyde, Common, and more. As his success grew, his health worsened as he suffered from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (a rare blood disease) as well as lupus. However, he still performed, using a wheelchair if needed. He died in his Los Angeles home on February 10, 2006, from cardiac arrest.

Keith Edward Elam (July 17, 1961 April 19, 2010),, better known by his stage nameGuru(an acronymforGifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal), was a rapper, producer and actor. A member of the legendary hip hop duoGang Starr, along withDJ Premier, Guru was ranked by The Source as #30 on the list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, saying Guru dropped some of the most thoughtful rhymes on wax. On February 28, 2010, Guru went into a coma following a battle with multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. He died on April 19, 2010, at the age of 48.

Nathaniel Dwayne Hale (August 19, 1969 March 15, 2011),aka Nate Dogg, came up with Warren G and Snoop Dogg, lending his trademark deep vocals to some of the West coasts greatest hits of the 90s and creating the G-funk sound. In addition to three solo albums, he also collaborated with Dr. Dre, Eminem, Tupac, the Westside Connection, 50 Cent, Ludacris, Xzibit, and more. However, before embarking on music, he served three years in the U.S. Marines as an ammunition specialist. He suffered a stroke in 2007 that left the left side of his body paralyzed. In 2008, another stroke left his whole body paralyzed. He died on March 15, 2011. The official cause of death was complications of multiple strokes.

Heavy D (May 24, 1967 November 8, 2011), born Dwight Arrington Myerswas a rapper, producer, and former leader ofHeavy D & the Boyz. He was one of raps pioneers in the 1980s. In addition to collaborations with major artists such as Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson, and more, he also discovered Puff Daddy. Heavy D won critical acclaim for his acting in his role as a migrant worker role in the 1999 drama film The Cider House Rules, receiving a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for best cast in a motion picture. He collapsed outside of his Beverly Hills home on November 8, 2011. He had reportedly been suffering from heart disease, but the official cause of death was a pulmonary embolism.

Courtney EveraldJamalDewar Jr., akaCapital STEEZ (July 7, 1993 December 24, 2012), was an Brooklyn-based rapper and founder of the rap collective Pro Era as well as the Beast Coast Movement, which consisted of three main groups based inFlatbush, New York:Pro Era,Flatbush Zombies, andThe Underachievers. December 23, he sent a cryptic tweet that simply read: The end. On December 24, 2012, after reportedly sending text messages to a few of his closest friends telling them that he loved them he committedsuicide by jumping from the rooftop of the Cinematic Music Group headquarters inManhattan. He was 19 years old.

Lord Infamous (November 17, 1973 December 20,2013), born Ricky T. Dunigan, was one of the co-founders of Three 6 Mafia alongwith his half-brother DJ Paul and Juicy J. Following his time with Three 6Mafia, he formed a new record company with Memphis-based rapper II Tone calledBlack Rain Entertainment. Following the addition of Memphis rapperMac Montese and Atlanta rapper T-Rock, the company was rebranded The ClubHouse Click. He died of a heart attack in his sleep at his mothershome in Memphis, Tennessee onDecember 20, 2013.

Henry Lee Jackson (January 11, 1956 November 11, 2014), akaBig Bank Hank, was one of the first rappers to cross over into themainstream charts. He was a member of the iconic Sugarhill Gang, thefirsthip hopact to have a hit with the cross-over singleRappers Delight in thepopcharts in 1979, making himone of hip-hops pioneers. On November 11, 2014, he died at the age of 58 fromcancer.

Sean Duval Price (March 17, 1972 August 8,2015, also sometimes known as Ruckus or Ruck, was a Brooklyn-bornrapper and members of both thehip hopcollectiveBoot Camp Clikas well as half of the duoHeltah Skeltah. Following many solo ventures aswell as collaborations, he became a well-known figure in the undergroundhip-hop community. In 2011, he served as a judge on theUltimateMCTV showalong withRoyce da 59,Pharoahe Monch,Organik,and Planet Asia. On August 8, 2015, Price died in his sleep atthe age of 43. No official cause has been revealed, but it appears to have beenof natural causes.

Chicago-based rapper, Derrick Coleman (July 4, 1990 January 19, 2018), also known as Fredo Santana, established himself as an up-and-coming hip-hop artist along with his cousin Chief Keef. Following a record deal in 2012, the artists had collaborated with major names such as Drake, Maxo Kream, Lil Durk, and Lil B as well as put out several solo songs. No cause of death was immediately revealed, but Santana was hospitalized three months before with kidney and liver failure before ultimately passing away on January 20, 2018. He was 27 years old. Prodigy (November 2, 1974 June 20, 2017), born Albert Johnson, was a rapper best known as half of the duo Mobb Deep along with Havoc. complications related to his sickle-cell anemia. In addition to a successful group and solo career, he was also an author, co-writing the urban crime novel H.N.I.C. with British author Steven Savile as well as a cookbook, Commissary Kitchen: My Infamous Prison Cookbook. In June of 2017, he was admitted to the hospital due to complications with his sickle-cell anemia. He ultimately died on June 20, 2017, due to those complications

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The Source |Rappers Who Died of Health, Accidents, or Natural Causes - The Source

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero