Phife Dawg, one of the two MCs in hip-hop stalwarts A Tribe Called Quest, has passed away at the age of 45.

The founding member of the group - which was originally formed in Queens, New York in 1985 - was diagnosed with diabetes in 1990 and had been in ill health on and off ever since. The cause of his death has not yet been revealed.

Members of the hip-hop and rap communities - as well as musicians of other genres and even actor Elijah Wood - have been paying tribute to the rapper, whose real name was Malik Taylor, on social media.