Rapper Fatman Scoop has died at the age of 53 after suffering a medical emergency on stage on Friday.
The artist, whose real name is Issac Freeman III, collapsed on stage at Hamden Town Center Park, Connecticut, and was rushed to hospital.
Screams were heard at his final show as the famous entertainer was seen struggling to get onto a platform before disappearing from view as medics rushed to revive him.
His tour manager announced his passing on Saturday, saying he was “speechless.”
Rapper Fatman Scoop has died at the age of 53 after suffering a medical emergency on stage on Friday.
Fatman Scoop, pictured dressed in brown, was seen in footage moments before collapsing during a concert in Connecticut on Friday night.
Freeman’s manager, DJ and producer Birch Michael, announced the rapper’s death “with the heaviest heart” in social media posts Saturday morning.
“You took me all over the world and had me perform alongside you on some of the biggest and grandest stages on this planet. The things you taught me have truly shaped me into the man I am today,” Michael said.
Three-time Grammy Award winner Fatman Scoop has ventured into podcasting and reality TV in recent years, including appearing on Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother: UK vs USA.
Tributes to the artist poured in quickly as news of his death was shared, with the UK’s Reminisce Festival, where he was scheduled to perform on September 7, sharing that his “absence will be deeply felt by all.”
“Not only was he one of our most popular artists, he was a beloved member of the Reminisce family,” the festival said.
Tributes to the artist came quickly as news of his death was shared.
When he collapsed on Friday night, audience footage captured the moment the beloved rapper collapsed, which came seconds after he woke up the crowd by chanting “Let’s make some noise!”
Shirtless, the rapper walked to the back of the stage and approached a DJ booth.
“I said Hamden make some noise!” Fatman Scoop shouted again. The hip-hop artist then walked up the stairs to the DJ booth, but his breathing seemed to become labored as he panted into the microphone.
Behind the booth, he tried to continue his performance.
“If you came to the party,” the rapper said, before pausing for a long time. Then he appeared to lean forward. “Make some noise,” he drawled.
As soon as he finished speaking, he collapsed to the ground, dropping the microphone.
Screams of horror and gasps of fear could be heard from the audience as the rapper’s fellow artists attempted to calm the crowd.
“We’re having a good time,” one of them said, while another again asked the crowd to “make some noise,” which received a much quieter response than moments before.
At around 8:33 p.m., authorities arrived at the scene. They carried the rapper out of the scene on a stretcher and rushed him to the hospital.
Hamden Mayor Lauren Garett said after the incident that Scoop was receiving emergency care and asked fans to “keep him in their thoughts and prayers.”