The Kriss Kross rapper Chris Kelly, who formed one half of the 90s teen hip-hop duo with Chris Smith, was found unconscious in his home on Wednesday, before being pronounced dead at around 5.30pm EST by the Fulton County Medical Examiner's office. Investigator Betty Honey said an autopsy is likely to reveal the cause of the 'Jump' singer's mysterious death, according to FOX 5 news, while The Mirror are saying it is a suspected drug overdose.
Chris Kelly, known as 'Mac Daddy', and Chris Smith, known as 'Daddy Mac', were discovered at the tender age of 13 in an Atlanta mall by music mogul Jermaine Dupri. The energetic duo and their trademark baggy clothes backwards burst onto the scene in 1992 with 'Jump', from their multi-platinum debut album 'Totally Krossed Out'.
The pair enjoyed a meteoric rise to fame, joining Michael Jackson on his Dangerous World tour and even appearing in his 'Jam' music video. Kriss Kross went on to record two more albums, and had success with singles 'Warm It Up' and 'Tonite's tha Night' and even had a video game before fading out of the spotlight and separating.
Kelly - who was studying to become a musical engineer - and Smith performed together for the first time in years in February at the 20th anniversary bash for Jermaine's So So Def record label. Respects for the late star have come flooding in on Twitter, with rapper LL Cool J even dedicating his new track 'Jump On It' to him. He posted: 'R.I.P Chris Kelly. This song is now officially dedicated to you. May GOD embrace your soul & lift up your family.'
