Trugoy the Dove, Founding Member of De La Soul, Dead at 54
De La Soul #DeLaSoul
Trugoy the Dove, a founding member of the hip-hop trio De La Soul, has died. He was 54.
The Grammy Award-winning MC’s death was reported by Variety and Pitchfork. A cause of death has not yet been revealed, and a rep for De La Soul did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
He previously revealed his struggled with congestive heart failure in the music video for De La Soul’s 2017 single “Royalty Capes” from their ninth and most recent studio album And the Anonymous Nobody…
Trugoy (born David Jude Jolicoeur) explained that he had to wear a Life Vest, which “will shock me, and hopefully bring me back from the matrix,” adding: “I’m ready just to get back to the stage. I miss it. I love traveling; I love being around my guys. And I want that back.”
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Fellow rapper Erick Sermon announced his death Saturday on Instagram, sharing a brief tribute with a throwback photo of Trugoy walking barefoot on a beach.
“This one hurts. From Long Island from one of the best rap groups in Hiphop # Delasoul #plug2. Dave has passed away you will be missed… RIP,” wrote Sermon in the caption.
Born Sept. 12, 1968 in Brooklyn, Jolicoeur launched De La Soul in 1988 with two friends from his high school in Long Island, Kelvin Mercer (a.k.a. Posdnuos) and Vincent Lamont Mason Jr. (Maseo), releasing their debut album 3 Feet High and Rising the next year.
De La Soul won their first Grammy Award in 2006 for their collaboration with Gorillaz on “Feel Good Inc.,” which is widely known for Jolicoeur’s rap solo in the second verse.
Jolicoeur’s death comes after Posdnuos, 53, performed last weekend at the 65th Grammy Awards with a huge group of other hip-hop greats to celebrate 50 years of the genre, featuring the trio’s song “Buddy” from 3 Feet High and Rising.
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Meanwhile, De La Soul’s entire catalog is set to hit streaming platforms next month for the first time ever, following decades of legal issues.