Ryan Schreiber reports:
Ol' Dirty Bastard, a founding member of one of hip-hop's best-loved and most influential collectives, Wu-Tang Clan, died tonight, reportedly after collapsing at a recording studio in Manhattan. The accomplished rapper was slated to perform with Wu-Tang last night in New Jersey, but didn't show. He was said to be complaining of chest pains earlier this afternoon. He would have been 36 on Monday.

"This evening I received a phone call that is every mother's worst dream," wrote ODB's mother, Cherry Jones, in a statement released tonight. "My son, Russell Jones, passed away. To the public, he was known as Ol' Dirty Bastard. To me, he was known as Rusty, the kindest and most generous soul on earth. I appreciate all the support I received. Russell was more than a rapper-- he was a loving father, brother, uncle and most of all, son."

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/pic...2516312u80.jpg

[ 11-14-2004, 04:30 AM: Message edited by: Grojlach ]

Damn. >_<

That's a damn shame, I love the Wu-tang Clan.

[ 11-14-2004, 01:29 PM: Message edited by: Sigmar ]

He's close to my age. What did he die of? ..and. sorry, I have no idea who he is.

Probably drug abuse, he died because of "heart failure" or something of that ilk.

I doubt many people outside the Rap genre will know who he was.

Cocaine.

Dang... that's sad. Oh well I didn't know he was already free... LOL [img]smile.gif[/img]

Always sad to see a talented rapper pass away...

More info:

Rapper O.D.B. dies at recording studio

NEW YORK (AP) -- The rap artist O.D.B., whose utterly unique rhymes, wild lifestyle and incessant legal troubles made him one of the most vivid characters in hip-hop, collapsed and died inside a recording studio Saturday. He was 35.

O.D.B. had complained of chest pains before collapsing at the Manhattan studio, and was dead by the time paramedics arrived, said Gabe Tesoriero, a spokesman for O.D.B.'s record label, Roc-a-Fella.

The cause of death was not immediately clear, but O.D.B. had recently finished a prison sentence for drug possession and escaping a rehab clinic. He would have turned 36 on Monday.

O.D.B. -- also known as Ol' Dirty Bastard, Dirt McGirt, Big Baby Jesus or his legal name of Russell Jones -- was a founding member of the seminal rap group the Wu-Tang Clan in the early 1990s.

With his unorthodox delivery -- alternately slurred, hyper and nonsensical -- O.D.B. stood out even in the nine-man Clan, which featured such future stars as Method Man, RZA and Ghostface Killah.

The Wu-Tang blueprint was for each member to pursue solo projects, and O.D.B.'s were among the best.

He released hit singles such as "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" and "Got Your Money," and appeared on remixes with artists like Mariah Carey.

"There's nobody like him in the game," RZA told The Associated Press in an April interview, when asked if O.D.B. could resume his career after prison. "He's got a lot of problems he's got to iron out, of course, but as far as a one-of-a-kind person, a one-of-a-kind artist, he's one of a generation, one of a lifetime. He's a very rare commodity."

But as his fame increased, so did his erratic behavior, and fans came to expect the unexpected from O.D.B.

When MTV News followed him around at the height of his popularity, he took the camera crew and several of his kids (he was said to have more than a dozen, by numerous mothers) to the welfare office -- in a limousine -- to get an allotment of food stamps.

And he received them.

In February 1998, he crashed the stage at the Grammy Awards and hijacked a microphone from singer Shawn Colvin as she accepted an award, apparently upset over losing the best rap album Grammy to P. Diddy (then known as Puff Daddy). He complained that he spent a lot of money for new clothes because he thought he was going to win. The rapper later apologized.

Over the years, he was wounded in shootings and arrested on a veritable laundry list of charges, including menacing security officers, illegally possessing body armor, driving with a suspended license, shoplifting and threatening a former girlfriend.

In 2000, after escaping a court-ordered stint in a California rehabilitation center, authorities searched for him for a month. He was finally arrested in Philadelphia -- three days after performing in a New York City concert with his Wu-Tang clique.

He was sentenced in 2001 to two to four years in prison for drug possession, plus two concurrent years for escaping from the clinic. He was released in 2003 and immediately signed with Roc-a-Fella.

He heralded his return with a news conference alongside singer Carey -- pop fans may know him best for his memorable cameo on her hit "Fantasy," featuring rhymes like "me and Mariah, go back like babies with pacifiers."

Tesoriero said O.D.B. had been working on his comeback album for more than a year and was almost finished.

"Russell inspired all of us with his spirit, wit, and tremendous heart," Roc-A-Fella founder Damon Dash said in a statement. "The world has lost a great talent, but we mourn the loss of our friend."

His mother, Cherry Jones, said she received the news of her son's death in a phone call, which she called "every mother's worst dream."

"To the public he was known as Old Dirty Bastard, but to me he was known as Rusty. The kindest most generous soul on earth," her statement said. "Russell was more than a rapper, he was a loving father, brother, uncle, and most of all, son."

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Musi....ap/index.html

Melusine is a spammer! [img]tongue.gif[/img] :D

EDIT: To add non- [img]graemlins/spam3.gif[/img] content. Uh, that Calvin Broadus was quite the rapper, wasn't he? Word! [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[ 11-14-2004, 10:02 AM: Message edited by: Attalus ]

Melusine is a spammer! [img]tongue.gif[/img] :D

EDIT: To add non- [img]graemlins/spam3.gif[/img] content. Uh, that Calvin Broadus was quite the rapper, wasn't he? Word! [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img] [img]tongue.gif[/img] </font>[/QUOTE]Attalus is a lamer! *insert obligatory amusing smileys*
What's with the "so and so is a spammer, har har, aren't I the humourous fellow?!" posts? ~yawn~ How old were you again? [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Settle down children [img]graemlins/hehe.gif[/img] *hides*

;)

BTW who in the hell is "Calvin Broadus"? :D

Ah well, that quote's going in my sig! Too big...shame. [img]graemlins/biggrin.gif[/img]

[ 11-14-2004, 12:34 PM: Message edited by: Sigmar ]

Calvin Broadus is better known as Snoop Dogg, Sigmar.

Old enough to know better, one would think. Ah, well, try, try again. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

Get outta town. :D

I thought Earl Simmons=DMX sounded wierd! :D

Than again "The Macho Man" Randy Savage=Randy Poffo ...whatta name! :D

Damn, Ol' Dirty passed away???? Thanks for lettin us know Groj. It's a shame as he wasn't a half-bad rapper.

Heh, Wu Tang clan were the reason I stopped listening to Rap music... For 2 years I was pretty heavily into it, but the WTC showed up and I hated them... [img]smile.gif[/img]

Anyway, sad to see him go anyway.

FUNNY, I'M NOT SAD AT ALL! ONE LESS RAPPER IN THE WORLD, BIG DEAL, SO THE BUBBLE-GUM GETS STALE :D

Really though, I can't have sympathy for people like that. If it was related to drugs then, you got your comeupins! That's a lifestyle you choose, it's not forced you and to feel sorry is to condone what he did.

I'm not really familiar with his work, I only read this thread because I thought it was about Donut.

However R.I.P

Must be hard to be perfect.

Well I have to admit it Lanesra... It is a tough life... but someone has to do it ;)

Never really was much into ODB or WTC... but still... sorry he's gone...

(Kind of curious as to how Attalus knew that :rolleyes: )

I'm not partial to rap music but it sounds like he did a lot for the business and still Variol, regardless of how he went, a life's a life.

R.I.P.

On almost unrelated note, did anyone play the WTC video game? I got that for christmas one year, and I didnt know what to make of it. They're rapper-ninjas?? Oh well, anyways, how about this: I'm sorry that his death upsets many people. Didn't know him personally, so I'm pretty detached.

Been a rap fan for 20 years, but never did like Wu Tang (as a group) much. Out of the individuals out of Wu Tang, ODB is not very memorable. RIP, guy.

I'm not OLD!!

The unspoken speaks volumes. [img]graemlins/heee.gif[/img]

Damn, I love the Wu-tang clan :(
I had quite a bit of Ol'Dirty's music too, it was all great :(