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John Fletcher, who was known by the stage name “Ecstasy” while performing with the early rap group Whodini, has died, according to the group’s Grand Master Dee and numerous friends. He was 56. The cause of death was not revealed.

“One love to Ecstasy of the legendary #Whodini,” wrote Roots drummer Questlove on social media. “This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop. This is sad man.”

Whodini were among the commercial pioneers of rap music as contemporaries of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five and Kurtis Blow. Their hit singles included “Friends,” “Freaks Come Out at Night,” “Magic’s Wand” and “The Haunted House of Rock.” The group earned one platinum (1 million units sold) and two gold albums.

Tributes poured in for Fletcher on social media.

“[In] 1987 I entered the Def Jam tour,” wrote Public Enemy’s Chuck D.

Update: The family and friends of John “Ecstasy” Fletcher have issued statements on his passing earlier today.

Jonnelle Fletcher, John Fletcher’s daughter, said, “The African and Native American ancestors have gathered around and chosen this day, during the Winter Solstice, Dec 23rd, 2020 to call upon a most endeared, generous, and sincere soul who graced The World’s heart through performance, hip-hop, family, children and grandchildren.

John “Ecstasy” Fletcher was a beloved man, the life partner to Deltonia and ex-husband to Carla, twin brother to Joseph,artist, friend, and lifetime performing partner to the Legendary Jalil of Whodini.

Whodini set a Hip Hop course of legendary status that we are all sure to pass on to our grandchildren.

Please send love and prayers to our family, and with open hearts we ask the ancestors to cover his soul in peace and tranquility. Play his music if it moves you, and...

John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, rapper and founding member of the pioneering hip-hop group Whodini, has died at the age of 56. The group’s Grand Master Dee confirmed Fletcher’s death to Variety. No cause of death was provided.

News of Fletcher’s death was first revealed by the Roots’ Questlove, with many others in the rap community also mourning the death of the Whodini rapper. “One Love to Ecstasy of the Legendary #Whodini,” Questlove wrote on social media. “This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop.

'He was just a big dude with swag, and then you seen Biggie follow suit and you see Rick Ross follow suit,' he tells MTV News.

By Rob Markman

Heavy D

Photo: Prince Williams/ FilmMagic

Red Café may have only met Heavy D a few months before his death, but the Overweight Lover remained an inspiration to the Bad Boy rapper.

"I gotta tip my hat, raise my glass to Heavy D for paving the way for me to be able to do this," Red told MTV News during MTV2's Sucker Free Awards in Miami last week. "Heavy D was instrumental on me being a part of hip-hop. The Overweight Lover brought the swag to the game, so for me, it was a great loss for me."

The fallen rapper was close friends with Bad Boy founder Diddy; their relationship dates back to their days at Uptown Records,...

'Every song Heavy D ever put out was something to uplift us,' former labelmate tells MTV News about her fallen friend.

By Rob Markman, with reporting by Vanessa White Wolf

Mary J. Blige

Photo: MTV News

Mary J. Bilge famously sang "Not Gon' Cry" on her 1996 single, but when the topic of her fallen friend and former Uptown Records labelmate Heavy D came up, the emotion was just too much to hold back.

"Heavy D was so beloved because the impact he made on music was that we could have fun: We can do hip-hop without murdering and killing everybody," a tearful Mjb told MTV News on Tuesday in Beverly Hills. "And he just brought so much light." Mary, like Heavy, hailed from the outskirts of New York City — him from Mount Vernon, her from Yonkers. It was 1987 when Heavy D & the Boyz released their first album, Living Large,...

Coroner has deferred autopsy pending toxicology tests.

By Gil Kaufman

Heavy D

Photo: Ron Galella / Getty Images

Authorities have not yet determined what caused Heavy D's death. After results were inconclusive, the Los Angeles coroner's office has deferred judgment on what killed the rapper/producer (born Dwight Errington Myers) suddenly at age 44 last Tuesday pending the results of toxicology tests.

According to the Los Angeles Times, officials said the autopsy results were unclear and that it could take several more weeks to determine a cause of death. Coroner's spokesperson Ed Winter has already stated that no illegal drugs were found at the rapper's Beverly Hills home, but that a doctor had recently prescribed medicine for a cough.

"We need to see what's in his system," Winter said. The paper said toxicology tests are common in cases when a relatively young, healthy person dies unexpectedly. D had just returned from...