Chris Kelly of the '90s rap duo Kris Kross has died, confirms the Associated Press. He was 34.
Kelly, pictured on the left, was reportedly found unresponsive in his Atlanta home on Wednesday. The official cause of death has yet to be determined, and an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday. But a Fulton County police spokeswoman tells the AP, "It appears it may have been a possible drug overdose."
Kris Kross was best known for the infectious hit "Jump" from their 1992 debut album, "Totally Krossed Out," and their trademark backwards clothes.
The duo consisted of Kelly, known as Mac Daddy, and Chris Smith, called Daddy Mac. They were discovered at an Atlanta mall by producer Jermaine Dupri, and were just 13 when "Totally Krossed Out" exploded onto the charts.
Soon, they were touring with Michael Jackson and starring in their own video game. Unfortunately, the group's next two studio albums failed to match the multiplatinum success of their debut, although they had additional hits with songs such as "Warm It Up," "Alright" and "Tonite's tha Night."
Kelly and Smith reunited in February for a 20th anniversary concert celebrating Dupri's So So Def Recordings. On Wednesday night, the label released a statement with Kelly's mother, Donna Kelly Pratte:
[h=5]"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."[/h] Dupri also issued a statement:
[h=5]"To the world chris was Mac Daddy but to me, he was a son I never had, as much as you may think I taught him, he taught me, god has blessed me to be in the presence of so many naturally talented people, and chris was one. his understanding of what we set out to do, from day one was always on point. his passion for the music, his love for doing shows, his want to better than everyone else, was always turnt up. when I think about it I spent more time with chris than damn near anybody in my whole life, so you can imagine how bad this hurts. I will always love you chris, and I will never let the world forget you, may god bless your soul."[/h] Below is a recent photo of Kelly, which So So Def shared Wednesday night on Instagram, along with Kris Kross' "Jump" video and their reunion performance ...
