Chris Kelly of the 90’s group Kris Kross died on May 1st 2013. Now medical examiners are confirming what has been long suspected: the young rapper overdosed. Although this isn’t catching the world completely off guard, it is still sad to get confirmation that another young entertainer has lost their lives to a battle with substance abuse.
As reported by Usatoday.com:
” A toxicology screening done by the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s office after the 34-year-old Kelly was found unresponsive in his Atlanta home on May 1 revealed that Kelly had drugs in his system. Paramedics were unable to resuscitate him and he was later pronounced dead at a local hospital.
The office’s Betty Honey said she did not know the specific drugs Kelly had used before his death. His mother told police at the scene that her son had taken cocaine and heroin the night before he died and he had a history of drug abuse.”
This also underscores the fact that you never know how certain people will react to the same thing. While Kris Kross was a duo, with both members acquiring equal levels of fame. One of them is still here with us, while the other rapper overdosed.
As reported by Eonline.com:
” Chris Smith, the other half of Kris Kross, who was discovered along with Kelly in an Atlanta mall when they were 13, mourned the passing of the artist who was “like a brother” to him.
“Our friendship began as little boys in first grade,” he said. “We grew up together. It was a blessing to achieve the success, travel the world and entertain Kris Kross fans all around the world with my best friend. It is what we wanted to do and what brought us happiness. I will always cherish the memories of the C-Connection.”
This has already been a storied week for rappers as it relate to drugs, as rap superstar Eminem had a tell-all about his struggles with drug addiction. It’s an issue that’s prevalent in the “rock star” life of the music business, and while it may never go away completely. It is time to start taking a more serious look at the problem rather just accepting it is as part of the culture. Is it possible we could start an organization to push for entertainers health benefits and at least make the help available to them when they need it? Only time will tell! But from Jimi Hendrix, to Michael Jackson, to Whitney Houston and now Cris Kelly, we have a problem and we need to address it.