British-born rap pioneer MF DOOM has died, aged just 49.
The prolific hip-hop veteran, who always performed with his signature mask, actually passed away on 31 October but his wife, Jasmine, only broke the news to fans via Instagram on Thursday.
She did not disclose his cause of death, but honoured him as "the greatest husband, father, teacher, student, business partner, lover and friend I could ever ask for".
"My world will never be the same without you. Words will never express what you and (late son) Malachi mean to me, I love both and adore you always. May THE ALL continue to bless you, our family and the planet (sic)," she mourned.
MF DOOM, real name Daniel Dumile, and his wife lost Malachi in 2017, at the age of 14.
Born in London, he was raised in Long Island, New York and began his rap career using the name Zev Love X.
He formed KMD with his younger brother, DJ Subroc, but the group came to an abrupt end in 1993 when Subroc was killed in a car accident shortly before the release of their second album, 1993's Black B**tards.
He went on to adopt the stage name MF DOOM, after Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor DOOM, in the mid-1990s and enjoyed success on the underground scene until 2004, when he joined forces with producer Madlib and created the group Madvillain, breaking into the commercial scene with 2004's critically-acclaimed Madvillainy.
He was also known for his work with Danger DOOM, the duo he formed with producer DJ Danger Mouse, and he also contributed to the Gorillaz's 2005 project Demon Days.
DOOM was additionally noted for his talents as a producer, creating tracks for Ghostface Killah's 2006 releases Fishscale and More Fish.
