Scoop topped the charts in Europe with Be Faithful two decades ago and later contributed to other artists' hits.
American rapper Fatman Scoop has died after collapsing on stage during a show in Connecticut, his family announced.
Scoop topped the charts in Europe with Be Faithful two decades ago and later contributed to other artists' hits.
The cause of his death was not immediately clear. He was 53.
On Friday night, he was performing at Hamden Town Center Park when he collapsed on stage, city Chief of Staff Sean Grace said Saturday.
He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead, US media reported.
His family wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday that “the world has lost a radiant soul, a beacon on stage and in life.”
While the world knew him as a performer who made club-goers move, his family cherished him as “the laughter in our lives, a constant source of support, unwavering strength and courage,” his relatives wrote on social media.
Scoop's manager Birch Michael said on Facebook: “I love you Scoop. Thank you so much for everything you've given me.”
Scoop, whose real name was Isaac Freeman III, was born in New York's Harlem neighborhood and rose to prominence with 1999's Be Faithful. What began as a minor hit in the US took off in Europe with a re-release in 2003, reaching number one on the singles charts in the UK and Ireland.
But Scoop was perhaps best known for his starring role in Missy Elliott's Lose Control, a summer 2005 song that also featured Ciara. The song won a Grammy for Best Short Form Music Video at the 2006 awards show.
Hip-hop star Elliott wrote on X that Scoop’s “voice and energy have contributed to many songs that made people feel happy and want to dance for over two decades. His impact is enormous and will never be forgotten.”
His long-time booking agency, MN2S, described him as an artist with “boundless enthusiasm,” a passion for music and a voice and personality that “left an indelible mark on the industry.”
His representative at MN2S, Sharron Elkabas, said in a statement on Saturday that she had spoken to him a few days earlier. “He was in very good spirits. It is hard to believe that he is no longer with us,” she said.
Scoop was also briefly embroiled in a political row in Australia in 2018 when the country's then-Prime Minister Scott Morrison posted a clip featuring their hit Be Faithful.
Morrison deleted the post after critics said the artist's lyrics were inappropriate and unparliamentary.
“It's pretty clear that's not a song on my playlist,” he later told reporters in Sydney.
The uproar prompted a response from Scoop, who tagged Morrison in an Instagram post saying: “I'm honoured to have my voice heard in the highest offices of the Australian Government!”
The rapper defended his lyrics: “It's a FUN PARTY SONG that has no NEGATIVITY or HARM in it!” before extending Morrison a backstage invite for a festival appearance in Australia.
