Emag.co.uk Entertainment News Leader
Kris Kross rapper Chris Kelly has died of a suspected drug overdose.
As yet there is no official confirmation of the cause of death but Cpl Kay Lester, a spokeswoman for the Fulton County police said: “It appears it may have been a possible drug overdose.”
Chris’ mother, Donna Kelly Pratte, released a statement shortly after the news broke worldwide, calling her son “kind, generous and fun-loving”.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce that our beloved Chris Kelly has passed away on May 1. To millions of fans worldwide, he was the trendsetting, backwards pants-wearing one-half of Kris Kross who loved making music. But to us, he was just Chris – the kind, generous and fun-loving life of the party. Though he was only with us a short time, we feel blessed to have been able to share some incredible moments with him. His legacy will live on through his music, and we will forever love him.”
Kelly, known as “Mac Daddy” and his partner in crime Chris Smith “Daddy Mac”, were introduced to the world in 1992 as Kris Kross, having been discovered by a young Jermaine Dupri at an Atlanta shopping centre.
The rap duo became an instant hit worldwide with their infectious song Jump – taken from their multi-platinum debut album Totally Krossed Out – selling a staggering four million copies in the US alone, topping the Billboard charts for eight weeks.
They were also known for their unique fashion style, wearing their clothes backwards.
In 1992, the talented pair landed a spot on Michael Jackson’s Dangerous world tour, and even had their own video game.
Their own music video for Jump shot to number one on MTV and sold over 100,000 copies as a VHS video single.
Their second and third albums also went platinum and gold respectively, but didn’t achieve the success of their first album.
Twitter has come out to mourn the late child star along with celebrities like LL Cool J, Monica, Mc Hammer and Russell Simmons.
LL Cool J led tributes, dedicating his new song Jump On It to the rapper, who was studying to become a musical engineer.
R.I.PChris Kelly. This song is now officially dedicated to you. May GOD embrace your soul & lift up your family. m.soundcloud.com/llcoolj/14-jum…
— LL COOL J (@llcoolj) May 2, 2013
RIP Chris Kelly May the peace of God comfort your family & all of those who love u… instagram.com/p/Yyuc0rTaXB/ — Monica(@MonicaBrown) May 2, 2013
LETTER TO THE FANS: CHRIS “MACDADDY” KELLY: bit.ly/16s1cRn — Jermaine Dupri (@Mr_Dupri) May 2, 2013
RIP Chris Kelly from Kriss Kross… bit.ly/ZXEP3L — Russell Simmons (@UncleRUSH) May 2, 2013
Earlier this year, the pair performed together to celebrate the anniversary of Durpri’s label, So So Def. Watch their performance below.
