The Tragic Death Of Black Rob
Rapper Black Rob (real name Robert Ross) died at the age of 51 in Atlanta, Ga. on April 17, 2021. His friend and radio personality DJ Self first broke the news on Instagram. "Lord knows i tried to get help ...... I'm sad to say RIP to Black Rob ..... Passed away in the hospital in Atlanta," he wrote.
Self had been documenting Rob's declining health on social media for about a week leading up to his death and shared a video of the rapper in a hospital bed on April 9, 2021 looking exhausted and highly uncomfortable. In the video, Rob tries his best to express the amount of pain he was feeling. "The pain is crazy man," he said, with his eyes closed. Two days later, Self said Rob was released from the hospital, but was experiencing kidney failure "again." He also thanked followers for their support.
Rob was most famous for being a former member of P. Diddy's Bad Boy Records and was featured in Diddy's 2001 Hot 100 hit "Bad Boy For Life." His most notable song was "Whoa!," which peaked at No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2000. The single was off his debut album Life Story, which went platinum, according to NY Daily News.
Rob seemed to be in good spirits ahead of his death, but didn't get to do one thing he had hoped to experience. Keep reading to learn about the positive message Rob sent fans days before he died.
Black Rob wanted to be with fans and friends
Six days before his death, Black Rob shared three images to his Instagram thanking fans for their support. In the first image, he confirmed that he was home from the hospital and said he was "good." The second image shared an upbeat message, with Rob saying he could "feel the love and much needed support" from his family, friends, and fans. The third and final image continued the theme of gratitude, and promised something that Rob never got to do: see his loved ones and fans. "I'm going to get better & hopefully have the opportunity to see more of you. As I progress I will keep you all posted!" the photo read.
Rob also updated fans on April 11 through DJ Self's Instagram page in a video that painted a grim picture of his life situation. "I've been dealing with this, man, for five years, four strokes," he revealed of his health before sitting down to get some rest. "I don't got no house to live in, except for an apartment me and my man be trying to get together. I'm telling you, man, this s**t is strange, it's hard," he continued, clearly distressed. Unfortunately, those would be the last social media updates from Rob.
Mark Curry, who was also once signed to Bad Boy Records, created a GoFundMe page for Rob. He shared a tear-filled video to his Instagram thanking anyone who donated to the page.