Kris Kross rapper Chris Kelly dies at age 34

USPA News - Rapper Chris `Mac Daddy` Kelly, best known for being one half of the 1990s rap duo `Kris Kross`, died of a suspected drug overdose Wednesday after being found unresponsive at his home in the U.S. state of Georgia, police said on Thursday. He was 34 years old.

Officers and paramedics were called to Kelly`s home in Atlanta at around 4:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday. First responders attempted to administer CPR before rushing him to the south campus of Atlanta Medical Center, where he was pronounced deceased at around 5 p.m. local time. An autopsy was carried out on Thursday, but no official cause of death was immediately established as authorities will await the results of a toxicology screening that could take several weeks. But a preliminary report from the Fulton County Police Department indicated that Kelly may have died of a drug overdose. According to the report, a woman told investigators that Kelly had taken a mixture of heroin and cocaine on Tuesday evening, and that she had brought him home to recover from the episode. Kelly`s relatives also told investigators that he had struggled with drug abuse in the past. Kelly, along with Chris `Daddy Mac` Smith, are probably best remembered for their 1992 song `Jump.` The song was released on their debut album "Totally Krossed Out" when they were both only 14 years old, but it went on to sell more than four million copies in the United States alone. The pair, whom would become internationally known as `Kris Kross`, had been discovered about a year earlier while they were at the Greenbriar Mall in Atlanta. They were discovered by the now famous rapper and producer Jermaine Dupri, who produced the pair`s first album. `Kris Kross` famously wore their clothes backwards and in total released three successful albums before separating in 1998 to have solo careers. But the duo reunited in February of this year for the 20th anniversary concert of the So So Def record label, which is owned by Dupri.