US rapper Lil Marlo dead after being shot in his car in Atlanta

‘A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered,’ wrote the artist’s record label

(Getty Images for Revolt)

US rapper Lil Marlo has died after being shot in his car in Atlanta, Georgia.

The artist’s record label Quality Control Music announced the news in a social media post. Atlanta police confirmed that the rapper, real name Rudolph Johnson, was killed in an apparent targeted shooting.

“With great sadness, we announce the loss of our beloved Marlo,” it wrote. “In loving memory of a great son, father, and friend to many. We are saddened to announce his passing on the night of July 12th, 2020.

“A life so beautifully lived deserves to be beautifully remembered.”

The label described Johnson as “a man of great talent and who feared nothing”, and said that “we love you and will miss you”.

At 11.30pm on Saturday night, police responded to a car wreck on Atlanta’s Interstate 285, and discovered a driver dead inside his car, subsequently identified as Johnson.

The police statement said: “At this time, investigators believe the victim was the intended target of the gunfire and they are working to determine the circumstances surrounding the shooting.”

Rapper and fellow Quality Control artist Lil Yachty revealed that he had been working on a track with Johnson in a tribute posted to Instagram, which read: “We just did a song 4 this morning smh rip brother.”