UPDATE: Kris Kross Rapper, Chris ‘Mac Daddy’ Kelly, Dead At 34 From Suspected Drug Overdose

Scroll down for original story.

UPDATE 2:56 AM EST — Chris ‘Mac Daddy’ Kelly’s mother, Donna Kelly Pratte, and So So Def released the following statement:

“It is with deep sadness that we announce that our beloved Chris Kelly has passed away on May 1. 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.”

UPDATE 1:36 AM EST — Based on statements received and evidence discovered at Chris ‘Mac Daddy’ Kelly’s home in south Atlanta, a drug overdose may have been the cause of his death.

“It appears it may have been a possible drug overdose,” said Cpl. Kay Lester, a spokeswoman for the Fulton County police.

An autopsy is scheduled to be performed Thursday morning (May 2).

UPDATE 11:58 PM EST – The Fulton County, Georgia, Medical Examiner’s Office confirms that Chris Kelly died around 5 p.m. at Atlanta Medical Center South.

UPDATE 10:50 PMEST – The Associated Press^[1] reports that “authorities are unsure of Kelly’s cause of death and that an autopsy has yet to be performed.”

UPDATE 10:00 PM EST — Chris ‘Mac Daddy’  Kelly, 34, of the 90′s Hip-Hop group, Kris Kross, was pronounced dead at Atlanta Medical Center around 8 p.m. eastern, according to FOX4kc.com.^[2]

———————————————————————————-

Chris ‘Mac Daddy’ Kelly, 34, of the 90′s Hip-Hop group, Kris Kross, has died, according to legendary Atlanta radio host DJ Greg Street^[3], music producer Bryan-Michael Cox and others in the music business who have taken to Twitter to offer condolences.

Street released the following statement:

Sad to hear the loss of my lil homie, Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly^[4]. I met him and Chris “Daddy Mac” Smith in ’93. Their song “Jump” had been #1 on the billboard charts for eight weeks. Everyone knows Kriss Kross for their music and the crazy way they used to dress, but once they started working with So So Def^[5], they became family.

Kriss Kross ^[6]just performed at the 20th anniversary of So So Def.

Around 7:45 I received a phone call from his cousin saying they had found Kelly at the house just 20 minutes earlier and he was unresponsive.

I just received confirmation that he has passed.

Want to Keep Up With NewsOne.com? LIKE Us On Facebook!

The group is best known for wearing their clothes backwards and the classic anthem ‘Jump, Jump.’Watch it below:In a wide-ranging  January 2013 interview^[7], Kelly spoke about his plans for the future, beef with rival Hip-Hop group, Another Bad Creation, suffering with Alopecia and his relationship with partner Chris ‘Daddy Mac’ Smith (pictured below right). The duo was discovered in 1991 at the age of thirteen by legendary producer and founder of So So Def Records, Jermaine Dupri. They last performed at the So So Def 20th anniversary concert^[8] at the fabulous Fox Theater in Atlanta in February.See performance below: This is a developing story. Check back with NewsOne for updates.

References

1. ^{^}The Associated Press (www
   .usatoday.com)
2. ^{^}FOX4kc.com. (fox4kc.com)
3. ^{^}DJ Greg Street (v103.cbslocal.com)
4. ^{^}Chris “Mac Daddy” Kelly (v103.cbslocal.com)
5. ^{^}So So Def (v103.cbslocal.com)
6. ^{^}Kriss Kross (v103.cbslocal.com)
7. ^{^}January 2013 interview (music.yahoo.com)
8. ^{^}So So Def 20th Anniversary Concert: Did Jay-Z Weigh In On Beyonce Lipsync Controversy? [VIDEO] (newsone.com)