Hip-hop artist Brother Marquis has died. He was 58.
The artist, whose real name was Mark Ross, was known for his work as one of the members of iconic Miami rap group 2 Live Crew.
On Monday, the official Instagram account for 2 Live Crew shared the news of his death in a tribute post. DJ Debo, the longtime manager for 2 Live Crew, additionally confirmed the news to People.
“Mark Ross AKA Brother Marquis of the 2 Live crew has passed away,” the group captioned a photo of Ross.
Sources with knowledge of the situation spoke with TMZ, and said that foul play isn’t suspected, and that his death appears to be natural.
Ross was born in April 1966 in Rochester, New York, before he moved to Los Angeles as a child. He later came out to Florida, where he joined 2 Live Crew in 1986.
While not a founding member of the group, he worked with Luke Skyywalker, Dr. Mr. Mixx and Fresh Kid ice, and made his debut appearance on their album The 2 Live Crew Is What We Are, released in ’86.
He stayed with the group until they disbanded in the mid-1990s. However, they reunited in the 2000s and returned to performing until Fresh Kid Ice’s death in 2007.
In the wake of the news, tributes, memorials and condolences poured in from fans and fellow artists.
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