Fredo Santana dies: Rapper who appeared in Drake video passes away age 27

Record producer and rapper Maxo Kream first reported the news on Instagram, writing: 'I'm lost for words right now'

Fredo Santana at Lollapalooza Festival, Chicago, 03 August 2013 (Rex Features)

UPDATE: The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has confirmed the rapper died at his LA residence around 11pm, Friday. An autopsy is pending.

American rapper Fredo Santana, real name Derrick Coleman, has died at age 27, a close friend has said.

Record producer and rapper Maxo Kream reported the news on Instagram with a picture of Santana and the caption: “Damn man I’m lost for words right now I’m cryin my ass off Fredo I love yu B***h RIP a real Savage.” There is no official confirmation of his death at this time.

Santana is best known for his appearance in the video for Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home”, in which he played a man who kidnaps Drake’s onscreen girlfriend. Drake paid tribute to Santana shortly after Kream broke the news, sharing a picture of the two together with the caption: “Rest in Peace Santana”. DJ Akademiks, Lil Durk, and ASAP Twelvyy were amongst the other fellow musicians who paid tribute.

Born on 4 July, 1990, Santana became key to Chicago’s drill music scene after the release of his first mixtape It’s A Scary Site, which featured guest appearances from Lil Reese, King L, Lil Durk, Gino Marley, Frenchie, and his cousin Chief Keef. He released his debut studio album in 2013, Trappin Ain’t Dead, via Savage Squad.

Santana revealed last October that he’d been rushed to hospital with liver and kidney failure, according to XXLMag.com; he told fans on Instagram, ”Been in here since Friday doctor say a n***a had kidney failure an liver failure.” He announced at the time that his collab project with Chief Keef, Turbo Bandana, would be delayed due to his health issues.

“Hopefully I can be the face to sho n***as to slow down an we got our whole life ahead of us f*k being rock stars gettin high I got ptsd,” he later tweeted, referencing his hospitalisation. “I was running from my old life tryna get high didn’t want to face them demons... I’m getting help I might just go to rehab.”

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