Prince Markie Dee Of The Fat Boys Dead At 52

Another one of rap's pioneers has passed away.

Prince Markie Dee, of New York rap group The Fat Boys, died suddenly on Thursday, Feb. 18 at age 52. SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells, where he hosted, made the announcement and at this time a cause of death hasn't been revealed.

The Fat Boys grew to fame after dropping their self-titled debut in 1984 and received a bigger audience after being in the 1985 film Krush Groove. 

They were also in the film Disorderlies and helped to usher in beatboxing into rap along with people like Doug E. Fresh, Biz Markie, Just-Ice and The Human Jock Box.

The Fat Boys released their last album Mack Daddy in 1991. Prince then released his first solo album one year later titled Free. His group member Darren "Buff Love" Robinson died of a heart attack in 1995, making Damon "Kool Rock-Ski" Wimbley the only surviving member. 

This is the second rap pioneer to die in recent months, as Whodini's Ecstasy passed away in December at age 56.