In mourning. Celebrities are sending thoughts and prayers after Migos member Takeoff was killed at age 28.
The rapper (born Kirshnik Khari Ball) died in the early hours of Tuesday, November 1, in Houston. He was at a bowling alley with his uncle Quavo, a fellow Migos performer, when an altercation broke out. Authorities responded to a call and arrived at 810 Billiards & Bowling at 2:40 a.m. local time to find multiple people were shot. Takeoff was pronounced dead at the scene, per TMZ.
“2 other victims taken in private vehicles to hospitals,” the Houston Police Department tweeted on Tuesday, confirming the musicians were among those attending the private party. At the time, the officials noted they were waiting to reveal who was killed until “his family is notified & ID verified by Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences.”
A spokesperson for the police department later confirmed Takeoff’s identity to Variety and Rolling Stone.
Quavo, 31, has yet to speak out about his nephew’s death and was not injured during the incident, according to reports.
Migos was formed in 2008 by Takeoff, Quavo (Quavious Keyate Marshall) and Offset (Kiari Kendrell Cephus), who did not appear to be at the Houston event. The trio grew up together outside of Atlanta and released their first mixtape in 2011. Two years later, they scored their big break with “Versace.”
Ahead of the release of their 2021 LP, Culture III, the group was nominated for two Grammys in 2018: Best Rap Album for Culture and Best Rap Performance for “Bad and Boujee.”
Earlier this year, Migos appeared to go their separate ways amid rumors of tension between the three members. However, Quavo and Takeoff continued to work together, sometimes referring to themselves as “Unc and Phew.”
In May, the twosome dropped “Us vs. Them,” a collaboration with Gucci Mane. The single did not feature Offset, nor did the pair’s previous song “Hotel Lobby.”
Weeks before his death, Takeoff and his uncle released an album titled Only Built for Infinity Links. A music video for the song “Messy” debuted hours before the Houston shooting.
Takeoff previously branched out on his own in 2018 with his album The Last Rocket. It followed Quavo’s solo record, Quavo Huncho, which dropped the same year. Offset, for his part, released Father of 4 in 2019.
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Scroll down to see how celebrities are paying tribute to late rapper Takeoff:
