David Jude Jolicoeur, known widely as Trugoy the Dove and one of the founding members of the Long Island hip hop trio De La Soul died at the age of 54. His representative Tony Ferguson confirmed the reports Sunday.
However, no other information was immediately available.
Over the last few years, Jolicoeur had said he was battling congestive heart failure, living with a LifeVest machine affixed to his person.
Tributes poured in on social media shortly after the news broke Sunday.
“Dave! It was a honor to share so many stages with you,” wrote rapper Big Daddy Kane on Instagram.
Rapper Erik Sermon posted on Instagram: “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.”
Young Guru added:“Rest in peace my brother. You were loved. @plugwondelasoul I love you brother we are here for you. Smiles I love you bro. This is crazy” and DJ Semtex wrote that it was “heart wrenching news.”
Jolicoeur, a Brooklyn, NY, native is widely considered to be one of the most influential hip-hop artists of the 1980s and 1990s to produce music in the genre that reflected a gentler tone.
Jolicoeur and De La Soul members Vincent Manson, known as Pasemaster Mase, and Kelvin Mercer, known as Posdnuos, formed the rap trio in 1988 after attending high school together in Amityville, New York.
READ MORE: DeSantis blasted by Biden and Trump
De La Soul released their debut album “3 Feet High and Rising” in 1989.
The album’s interlude skits, conceptual sound and samplings of James Brown’s music influenced artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, Public Enemy and N.W.A. to emulate the group’s unique style.
Over the course of their performing career, De La Soul was nominated for six Grammy Awards, winning one for best pop collaboration with vocals for “Feel Good Inc.” in 2006.
In August 2021, the group announced on Instagram Live that their entire catalog, which includes eight studio albums, is set to be released on music streaming sites in March 2023.
He said: “We have finally come down to a deal between ourselves and Reservoir Media to release our music in 2021.
DON’T MISS:
UK to initiate security review of ‘airspace intrusions’ [INSIGHT]
ISIS could stage a comeback after Turkey earthquake [REVEAL]
China detects mysterious ‘UFO inside airspace’ [SPOTLIGHT]
“Our catalog will be released this year, we are working diligently with the good folks at Reservoir, and we sat down with them and got it done pretty quickly actually.”
The most recent album that Jolicoeur and De La Soul released was “And the Anonymous Nobody…” in 2016.
De La Soul was scheduled to perform three shows in the United Kingdom starting April 8, 2023.
