Chris ‘Mac Daddy’ Kelly, who, along with Chris ‘Daddy Mac’ Smith, formed the hugely successful nineties teen rap duo Kris Kross has died aged 34, report Rolling Stone.
He passed away at the Atlanta Medical Center in Georgia, U.S. yesterday afternoon, though the cause of death is as yet unconfirmed.
Kelly and Smith achieved huge commercial success with their first album, 1992’s Totally Krossed Out, released and produced by Jermaine Dupri after he discovered the duo in a mall, which was followed by two further albums, 1993’s Da Bomb and 1996’s Young, Rich & Dangerous, before calling time in 1998. They reunited last year for the 20th anniversary celebration of Dupri’s So So Def label.
In a statement issued today, Kelly’s mother and the label said: "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.”
