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Artist News Top Stories
Chris Kelly of Kris Kross dies
By Chris Cooke | Published on Thursday 2 May 2013
The rapper Chris Kelly, one half of Kris Kross, has been found dead at his Atlanta home. He was aged 34. Although the exact cause of death is not yet known, police have said it is being investigated as a possible drug overdose. An autopsy will be performed later today.
Kelly and his friend Chris Smith enjoyed worldwide success as Kris Kross in 1992, despite being barely teenagers, thanks to their hit ‘Jump’, which came off the album ‘Totally Krossed Out’, produced by Jermaine Durpri, who had discovered the duo two years earlier and secured them a deal with Ruffhouse Records.
In a statement, Kelly’s mother, Donna Kelly Pratte, said: “It is with deep sadness that we announce that our beloved Chris Kelly has passed away on 1 May. 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”.
As previously reported, the duo reformed for a performance recently at an event to mark the 20th anniversary of Dupri’s label So So Def Recordings.
