New York: Fatman Scoop, who topped charts in Europe with “Be Faithful” two decades ago and later contributed to hits by other artists, died after collapsing on stage at a show on Friday in Connecticut, according to officials and his family. He was 53.
The cause of his death wasn’t immediately clear.
He was performing at Hamden Town Centre Park when he collapsed on Friday evening, town chief of staff Sean Grace said on Saturday. Mayor Lauren Garrett posted on Facebook that he had a medical emergency. Concertgoers and paramedics tried to aid the artist, who was taken to a hospital, she wrote.
Fatman Scoop, born Isaac Freeman III, was from New York City’s Harlem neighbourhood.Credit: Getty Images
His family wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday that “the world lost a radiant soul, a beacon on stage and in life.”
If the world knew him as an artist who got club goers moving, his family cherished him as “the laughter in our lives, a constant source of support, unwavering strength and courage,” his relatives wrote.
“His music made us dance and embrace life with positivity. His joy was infectious and the generosity he extended to all will be deeply missed but never forgotten,” they added.
Fatman Scoop, born Isaac Freeman III, was from New York City’s Harlem neighbourhood and broke out with 1999’s “Be Faithful.” What started as a minor success in the US took off in Europe with a 2003 re-release, hitting No. 1 on the singles charts in the UK and Ireland.
The next year, he appeared on the UK television series Chancers, in which musicians mentored artists who wanted to make it in the US., the BBC reported. He also was a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother 16: UK vs USA,” which aired in 2015.
But Scoop - sometimes stylised as Fat Man Scoop or FatMan Scoop - was perhaps best known for his feature role on Missy Elliott’s “Lose Control,” a 2005 song of the summer that also featured Ciara. The track won a short-form music video Grammy at the 2006 award show.