A Tribe Called Quest's Phife Dawg has died
The news of his death was announced on Twitter this morning
Phife Dawg from A Tribe Called Quest has passed away, aged 45.
Hip hop figure DJ Chuck Chillout tweeted earlier today, paying tribute to the ATCQ co-founder who had reportedly suffered health problems since being diagnosed with type one diabetes in 1990. He also had a kidney transplant in 2008.
Behind hip hop gems such as 'Can I Kick It?' and 'Bonita Applebum', both taken from the group's era-defining debut album 'People's Instinctive Travels And The Paths Of Rhythm', Phife Dawg, real name Malik Isaac Taylor, also released a solo album, 'Ventilation: Da LP,' in 2000.
He joined fellow ATCQ members Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last year and also appeared in 2011 documentary Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest.
Chuck D, Mistajam, Gilles Peterson and MC DRS are among those to have paid tribute to him on Twitter.
Dave Turner is Mixmag's Digital News Editor, follow him on Twitter
