Chris Kelly, from '90s rap duo Kriss Kross, dead at 34

[Jolie Rouge]

By Pop Spy -- Kat Giantis 18 hours ago

http://media-social.s-msn.com/images/blogs/00290065-0000-0000-0000-000000000000_913e6ef8-b8d5-4f20-9d47-e99c063550a6_20130502024936_h_REX%20Features_20146 4b.jpg

Chris Kelly of the '90s rap duo Kriss Kross has died, confirms the Associated Press. He was 34.



Kelly, pictured on the left, was reportedly found unresponsive in his Atlanta home on Wednesday. The cause of death has yet to be determined, and an autopsy is scheduled for Thursday.



Kriss Kross was best known for the infectious hit "Jump" from their 1992 debut album, "Totally Krossed Out," and their trademark backwards clothes.




The duo consisted of Kelly, known as Mac Daddy, and Chris Smith, called Daddy Mac. They were discovered at an Atlanta mall by producer Jermaine Dupri, and were just 13 when "Totally Krossed Out" exploded onto the charts.

Soon, they were touring with Michael Jackson and starring in their own video game. Unfortunately, the group's next two studio albums failed to match the multiplatinum success of their debut, although they had additional hits with songs such as "Warm It Up," "Alright" and "Tonite's tha Night."

Kelly and Smith reunited in February for a 20th anniversary concert celebrating Dupri's So So Def Recordings. Below is a recent photo of Kelly, which So So Def shared Wednesday night on Instagram, along with Kriss Kross' "Jump" video and their reunion performance ...

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http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/9/9f/Kris_Kross.JPG/441px-Kris_Kross.JPG

Jump : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=010KyIQjkTk

20th anniversary concert celebrating Dupri's So So Def Recordings : http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=DCLXChS2eBQ

[justme23]

Sad. :(

[Jolie Rouge]

Kris Kross' Chris Kelly died from overdose, autopsy says

POSTED: Thursday, July 4, 2013 - 1:00am

UPDATED: Thursday, July 4, 2013 - 1:04am

CNN — Chris Kelly, half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, died of a drug overdose that included heroin and cocaine, his autopsy report said Wednesday.

Kelly, 34, died at an Atlanta hospital after he was found unresponsive at his home on May 1, police said.

The Fulton County medical examiner concluded that Kelly's death was an accident caused by the combined toxic effects of heroin, cocaine, ethanol and hydrocodone, and alprazolam, said the medical examiner's spokeswoman, Karleshia Bentley.

After paramedics took him to the hospital, a woman who identified herself as Kelly's friend told an investigator that Kelly had taken a mixture of heroin and cocaine the night before, and that she had brought Kelly home "to recover from his drug use," according to a police report.

Kelly, together with Chris Smith, shot to stardom in 1992 with "Jump," which spent eight weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100.

The duo opened for Michael Jackson that year on his Dangerous World Tour.

Their penchant for wearing their clothes backward was, at least for a time, widely emulated.

Discovered at a mall

Kelly and Smith were 13-year-olds when they were discovered in 1991 at an Atlanta mall by producer Jermaine Dupri.

Going by the stage name Mac Daddy (with Smith known as Daddy Mac), the pair followed up their smash "Jump" with the single "Warm It Up."

Together, the songs pushed their debut album, "Totally Krossed Out," to multiplatinum status. Next came 1993's "Da Bomb."

But the album failed to find the following of the duo's debut, in large part because the boys had hit puberty and they were marketed with a tougher image.

Their career never again reached the heights of their debut, but they continued to make music.

In 1996, the duo released the album "Young, Rich and Dangerous."

The pair reunited for one night in February for a 20th anniversary party for Dupri's So So Def label.

http://www.nbc33tv.com/news/kris-kross-chris-kelly-di