US rapper Fatman Scoop has died after collapsing on stage at a show in Connecticut, his family has announced.
Scoop old topped charts in Europe with Be Faithful two decades ago and later contributed to hits by other artists.
The cause of his death was not immediately clear. He was 53.
On Friday evening, he was performing at Hamden Town Center Park when he collapsed on stage, town Chief of Staff Sean Grace said on Saturday.
He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, US media reported.
His family wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday that “the world lost a radiant soul, a beacon on stage and in life.”
If the world knew him as an artist who got clubgoers moving, his family cherished him as “the laughter in our lives, a constant source of support, unwavering strength and courage,” his relatives wrote on social media.
Scoop’s manager Birch Michael said on Facebook, “I love you Scoop. Thank you so much for everything you gave to me.”
Scoop, born Isaac Freeman III, was from New York City’s Harlem neighbourhood and broke out with 1999’s Be Faithful. What started as a minor success in the US took off in Europe with a 2003 re-release, hitting number one on the singles charts in the UK and Ireland.
But Scoop was perhaps best known for his feature role on Missy Elliott’s Lose Control, a 2005 song of the summer that also featured Ciara. The track won a short-form music video Grammy at the 2006 award show.
Hip-hop star Elliott wrote on X that Scoop’s “voice and energy have contributed to many songs that made the people feel happy and want to dance for over two decades. Your impact is huge and will never be forgotten.”
His longtime booking agency, MN2S, described him as an artist with “boundless enthusiasm,” a passion for music and a voice and personality that “made an indelible mark on the industry”.
His MN2S representative, Sharron Elkabas, said in a statement Saturday that she had spoken to him a few days earlier. “He was in such good spirits. It’s hard to believe he is no longer with us,” she said.
Scoop also briefly became embroiled in a political dispute in Australia in 2018 when the country’s then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison posted a clip that featured his hit Be Faithful.
Morrison deleted the post after his critics said the entertainer’s lyrics were inappropriate and unparliamentary.
“It’s quite clear that that is not a song on my playlist,” he later told reporters in Sydney.
The uproar prompted a response from Scoop, who tagged Morrison in an Instagram post saying: “I am humbled to have my voice rocking in the highest offices of the Australian Government!”
The rapper defended his lyrics: “It’s a fun PARTY SONG that has no NEGATIVITY or HARM in it!!” before extending Morrison a backstage invite to a festival appearance in Australia.
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