(Newswire.net — May 2, 2013) Cincinnati, OH — Rapper Kris Kelly of the duo Kris Kross died Wednesday night at the age of 34.
“It appears it may have been a possible drug overdose,” said Cpl. Kay Lester, a spokeswoman for the Fulton County police, according to The Associated Press.
Kelly aka “Mac Daddy” and Chris “Daddy Mac” made up the duo Kris Cross which had their first hit in 1992 with the song “Jump” on the “Totally Krossed Out” CD. The song went to number 1 and stayed there for eight weeks. Later that year they toured with Michael Jackson on his “Dangerous World Tour.”
Chris Kelly at the time was only 13 years old when they were discovered by music producer and rapper Jermaine Dupri while performing at the Greenbriar in Atlanta.
During this time they also made music appearances in music videos for Run-D.M.C’s “Down With the King” and TLC’s “Hat 2 Da Back.” They were also featured in an episode of A Different World and an Episode of In Living Color. Kris Kross also made a cameo appearance in the 1993 film “Who’s the Man.”
The duo sang the song “Rugrats Rap” for Nickelodeon which was released as extras on some Nickelodeon VHS Tapes starting in 1994. They were also listed at number 90 on VH1’s list of “The 100 Greatest Kid Stars.”
Since that time they went on to produce 2 more albums “Da Bomb” (1993) and “Young, Rich & Dangerous” (1996) but neither could be their earlier success. The duo split after their 3rd cd to pursue solo careers.
“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.” — Kelly’s Mother, Donna Kelly Pratte.
R.I.P. Chris Kelly