Rapper XXXTentacion was fatally shot late Monday afternoon in the southern Florida city of Deerfield Beach, according to authorities. He was 20 years old.
Emergency officials received a call at 3:57 p.m. about a shooting on Dixie Highway and an adult male victim was taken to a hospital, according to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office.
Nearly two and a half hours later, the sheriff’s office confirmed the adult man had died.
Before authorities released the name of the victim, citing the need to identify his next of kin, TMZ published a video of a man it reported as XXXTentacion who was slouched in the driver’s seat of a car and surrounded by onlookers as sirens blazed nearby.
Born Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy and raised in South Florida, the rapper would go on to court both success and extreme controversy as XXXTentacion.
In March 2014, he uploaded the song “Vice City” to SoundCloud, the free music-streaming platform where he would eventually amass more than 2 million followers. There, he released several EPs, and his cult following quickly grew into mainstream celebrity.
His musical persona constantly shifted, as he tackled mumble-rap, horrorcore, R&B and even heavy metal. “The only person who inspires me is Kurt Cobain,” he once said.
In August 2017, Onfroy released his debut album “17,” which peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200. Seven months later, he released ”?” which topped the chart.
Meanwhile, he faced legal problems and a quickly worsening reputation.
This 2017 arrest photo made available by the Miami Dade Dept. of Corrections shows Jahseh Onfroy, also known as the rapper XXXTentacion, under arrest. Onfroy was shot and killed, Monday, June 18, 2018, in Deerfield Beach, Fla. (Miami Dade Dept of Corrections via AP)
The rapper was arrested in Miami-Dade in October 2016 and later charged with aggravated battery of a pregnant woman, domestic battery by strangulation, false imprisonment and witness-tampering after his ex-girlfriend accused him of physical abuse, including strangulation — both before and after he learned she was pregnant.
While awaiting trial, he pleaded no contest to previous charges of armed home-invasion robbery and battery.
He had long bragged about his violent tendencies in interviews, such as telling an extremely detailed story about beating a homosexual cellmate for looking at him. The story included disturbing details, such as Onfroy claiming he wiped the man’s blood on his own face.
That violence extended to his shows. He routinely got into fistfights with fans at his concerts.
Though his songs charted with regularity, celebrities such as comedian Eric Andre began disavowing the rapper, and asking others to follow suit.
Spotify briefly removed the controversial rapper, along with singer R. Kelly, from its curated playlists citing a “hateful conduct” policy — but quickly restored them after backlash from the music industry, which reportedly included artists such as Kendrick Lamar.
At the time of his death, Onfroy was awaiting trial.
As news of the shooting broke, several celebrities and musicians shared their shock on social media.
“I never told you how much you inspired me when you were here,” Kanye West wrote after Onfroy’s death was confirmed.