Louie Rankin dead: Dancehall musician dies in car crash
Reggae and Dancehall artist Louie Rankinhas died after a car crash in Canada.
The actor and musician, who is best-known for his 1992 hit Typewriter, was driving in Ontario when he was involved in a collision with another vehicle, according to TMZ.
A Twitter post from Rankin’s account confirmed the fatal incident.
It reads: “It saddens us to have to announce that The ‘ORGINAL DON DADA’ ‘Trail Blazer’ the legend – Louie Ox Rankin passed away this morning! May God keep his soul with his father, sister and niece in #heaven #amen #sipox.”
Rankin – who was dubbed ‘Don Dada’ – starred as Ox in 1998 film Belly, with fellow actors Nas and DMX, 2002 crime drama Shottas and We Run These Streets, released in 2014.
He reunited with Nas in 2016, joining him and DJ Khaled on the track Nas Album Done, and appearing in the music video with the two stars.
According to Rankin’s Instagram, he was filming a “major movie” in Toronto the day before the crash.
He wrote on his page: “The Original Don DaDa On Set Shooting A Major Movie In Toronto with iHouseRecords.”
In an interview with Tallawah magazine in 2014, he said his life changed after starring in Belly.
He said: “My life was changed when I did Belly because it became one of the biggest ever blockbusters in gangster movie history. It was like a version of Scarface. So it had a major impact and did a lot for me as an actor.
Rankin also addressed the impact of Typewriter, adding: “On the music side, I got a Grammy in 1992 for a song called Typewriter. So I’ve come a long way, done a lot.
“The older folks know me as Louie Rankin, but the younger generation call me Teddy Bruckshot [his Belly character].”
Tributes have been paid by stars including DJ Khaled, Nas, Outlawz’s Young Noble and French rapper Kalash.
DJ Khaled paid tribute to Rankkin by posting a series of images of them together on Instagram. He captioned the post: “Bless Up!”
Nas shared a heartfelt post, writing: “Louie Rankin. Great working with this man. A legend. In Belly you stole the show. “ You Wana Rump with bombaclot me??!” In @djkhaled video Nas Album Done, your presence was super live wire much needed. RIP Don Dada.”
Under Nas‘ post, Young Noble wrote: “Rest well.”
Kalash wrote on Twitter: “RIP LOUIE RANKIN, THE ORIGINAL DON DADARapper Popcaan also paid tribute to the star, writing on his Instagram page: “Legends don’t die!!!! It is very unfortunate what happen to you fam but god knows best.. rest up fada Louie your memories are forever..!
