Rapper Fatman Scoop has died at the age of 53 after suffering a medical emergency on stage.
The artist, whose real name is Isaac Freeman III, collapsed on stage at Hamden Town Center Park, Connecticut, on Friday and was rushed to the hospital.
During his final show, screams were heard as the legendary hype man was seen struggling after climbing onto a platform before disappearing from view as medics attempted to revive him.
His tour manager announced his death on Saturday, saying he was “at a loss for words.”
Rapper Fatman Scoop has died at the age of 53 after suffering a medical emergency on stage
The artist, real name Isaac Freeman III, collapsed on stage at Hamden Town Center Park, Connecticut, on Friday after suffering a medical emergency that was caught on camera.
Freeman’s manager, DJ and producer Birch Michael, announced the rapper’s passing “with a heavy heart” on Saturday morning via social media posts.
Shortly afterwards, the artist’s family released a statement saying he was “not just a world-class artist — he was a father, brother, uncle and a friend.”
“Last night the world lost a shining soul, a beacon of light on stage and in life,” the family said. “He was the laugh of our lives, a constant source of support, unwavering strength and courage.”
Born in New York City in 1971, Freeman made his name through collaborations with megastars such as Missy Elliot and Mariah Carey in the early 2000s. He was known for his deep, booming voice.
His family described him as “the undisputed voice of the club” and said his “music made us dance and embrace life positively.”
Fatman Scoop, a three-time Grammy Award winner, has ventured into podcasting and reality TV in recent years. In 2015, he appeared on Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother: UK vs USA.
The exact cause of the artist’s death is unclear, but the death occurred after he suffered a medical emergency on stage on Friday.
Crowd footage captured the moment the beloved rapper collapsed, seconds after he had whipped the crowd into a frenzy with the chant, “Let’s make some noise!”
Crowd footage captured the moment the beloved rapper collapsed behind a DJ booth, seconds after whipping the crowd into a frenzy with a shout of “Let’s make some noise!”
More tributes quickly poured in for the artist once news of his death broke
The artist’s family paid a moving tribute when they announced his death, saying he was “the laugh of our lives” and calling him “the undisputed voice of the club”.
In the video, the rapper walks to the back of the stage and walks over to a DJ booth. He again yells, “I said Hamden, make some noise!”
The hip-hop artist then climbed the stairs to the DJ booth, but his breathing seemed to become more labored as he panted into the microphone.
“If you came to party,” the rapper said, before taking a long pause. He then appeared to lean forward. “Make some noise,” he added, slurring his words.
As soon as he finished speaking, he collapsed to the ground, dropping the microphone.
Screams of horror and anxious gasps could be heard from the audience as the rapper’s fellow artists tried to calm the crowd.
“We’re having a good time,” said one of them, while another asked the audience again to “make some noise,” to which they responded much more reservedly than a few moments earlier.
The rapper’s manager said he was “wordless” over the 53-year-old’s death
Three-time Grammy Award-winning Fatman Scoop has ventured into podcasting and reality TV in recent years – pictured on Channel 5’s Celebrity Big Brother: UK vs USA in 2015
In another clip, a member of the rapper’s entourage walked over to the DJ table, turned off the music, and an eerie silence fell in the room.
With the DJ booth partially blocking the view, a medical official performed vigorous chest compressions on the rapper.
At around 8:33 p.m., authorities were called to the scene of the accident. They wheeled the rapper out of the venue on a stretcher and rushed him to the hospital.
Hamden Mayor Lauren Garett said after the incident that Scoop was undergoing emergency care and asked fans to “keep him in their thoughts and prayers.”
When news of his passing broke, tributes quickly poured in. The UK’s Reminiscence Festival, where he was due to perform on 7 September, said his ‘absence will be deeply felt by all.’
“Not only was he one of our most popular artists, he was also a beloved member of the Reminisce family,” the festival said.
Fatman Scoop, an award-winning artist and producer, was known for his many collaborations, including with Missy Elliott, Mariah Carey and David Guetta.
In 2014, he revealed that he first got the nickname Fatman Scoop from his uncle, due to his love of ice cream. This is despite rumors that Lauryn Hill had given him the nickname when he appeared as an extra in the Fugee’s 1996 music video for Killing Me Softly.
On the morning of his collapse, Scoop released the official music video for his latest collaboration with Dyce Paso, featuring their new song “Let It Go.”
