Isaac Freeman III, the award-winning rapper and hype man known professionally as Fatman Scoop, has died after suffering a medical emergency on stage. He was 53.
Freeman’s death was confirmed on Saturday in a statement shared on his official Instagram page.
“It is with profound sadness and very heavy hearts that we share news of the passing of the legendary and iconic FatMan Scoop,” a post on his Instagram page read. “Last night, the world lost a radiant soul, a beacon of light on the stage and in life.”
The rapper was performing at the Green and Gold Party summer concert in Hamden, about six miles from New Haven when he suffered a medical emergency on stage.
He was seen collapsing on stage as he walked behind a DJ booth. While those nearby tried to administer CPR to the performer, his hype men attempted to calm the crowd by playing more songs.
In a statement on Saturday, the town’s mayor Lauren Garrett thanked people from the crowd and paramedics who attempted to perform life-saving measures.
“On behalf of the Town of Hamden, I offer my heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Isaac Freeman, known as Fatman Scoop,” she posted on Facebook. “He was a wonderful performer with a wide following as evidenced by the thousands of fans that came to see what would be his last performance at Hamden Town Center Park.”
The mayor said grief counselling services would be available for community members.
Scoop has been credited as an influential figure in New York City’s hip-hop scene in the 1990s.
He has featured on popular songs including Grammy award-winning Lose Control by Missy Elliott and It’s Like That by Mariah Carey.
Scoop is also known for his sleeper hit Be Faithful, which was originally released in 1999 but garnered international success in 2003, topping the charts in Ireland and the UK.
In 2004, the rapper was featured in the UK TV series Chancers on Channel 4, which featured musicians mentoring aspiring UK artists looking to achieve success in the US.
Fatman Scoop was also a contestant on Celebrity Big Brother 16: UK vs USA, which was housed in the UK and aired in 2015. He was the third housemate to be evicted.
