A piece of my childhood is gone. Rapper Chris Kelly, of the famed Hip-Hop duo Kris Kross, was pronounced dead at a hospital Wednesday night in Atlanta. I can’t believe he was only 34, I for surely thought he was older than me.
The duo rose to fame in the 90s with their song “Jump” from their 1992 album, “Totally Krossed Out.” “Jump” hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and remained there for eight weeks. The duo were discovered by music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri in an Atlanta mall. Kelly was 13 when “Totally Krossed Out” was released. The album went on to multiplatinum status thanks to “Jump,” which remained a popular song throughout 1992. They toured with Michael Jackson later that year during his “Dangerous World Tour.”
A spokeswoman for the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Officer told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Chris was found unresponsive at his home yesterday evening and transported him to the Atlanta Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. An autopsy is planned at the medical examiner’s office for todayto determine the cause of death.
Chris’ mother and The So So Def Family released a joint statement saying:
“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.”
— Donna Kelly Pratte (mother) & The So So Def Family
If you recall, the world last saw Kris Kross perform together at the 20th anniversary concert for Jermaine Dupri’s So So Def label. This is so sad and he will definitely be missed! What is your favorite Kris Kross memory?
