A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg has died
Phife Dawg, one of the founders of ground-breaking hip-hop group A Tribe Called Quest, has died aged 45.
The rapper, born Malik Isaac Taylor in New York City, had been battling health issues for a number of years, including diabetes, which he was diagnosed with in 1990. In 2008, he received a kidney transplant.
Phife's cause of death is not yet known, but news of his passing spread quickly after DJ Chuck Chillout posted a tribute on Twitter.
A Tribe Called Quest had recently reformed to perform on Jimmy Fallon's chat show, and last year marked the 25th anniversary of debut LP People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm.
Phife's bandmates have yet to make a statement, but producer Statik Selektah has confirmed the sad news.
Confirmed. rest in peace Phife. Man. I'm out.
— Statik Selektah (@StatikSelekt) March 23, 2016
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