NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� Fatman Scoop, the hip-hop artist who topped charts in Europe with 鈥淏e Faithful鈥� in the early 2000s and later lent his distinctive voice and ebullient vibe to hits by artists including Missy Elliott and Ciara, died after collapsing on stage at a show in sa国际传媒icut, according to officials and his family. He was 56.
The cause of his death wasn't immediately clear.
He was performing at Hamden Town Center Park when he collapsed Friday evening, town chief of staff Sean Grace said Saturday. Mayor Lauren Garrett posted on Facebook that he had a medical emergency. Concertgoers and paramedics tried to aid the artist, who was taken to a hospital, she said.
His family said in an Instagram post that 鈥渢he world lost a radiant soul, a beacon on stage and in life.鈥�
With a gravelly voice and dance-floor-friendly sensibility, Fatman Scoop was a mainstay of club playlists around the turn of the millennium. But if the world knew him as the 鈥渧oice of the club,鈥� his family cherished him as 鈥渢he laughter in our lives, a constant source of support, unwavering strength and courage,鈥� his relatives said.
鈥淗is music made us dance and embrace life with positivity. His joy was infectious and the generosity he extended to all will be deeply missed but never forgotten,鈥� they added, saying he leaves a legacy 鈥渙f love and brightness.鈥�
Born Isaac Freeman III, Fatman Scoop was from New York City鈥檚 Harlem neighborhood and broke out with 1999鈥檚 鈥淏e Faithful.鈥� What started as a minor success in the U.S. took off in Europe with a 2003 re-release, hitting No. 1 on the singles charts in the U.K. and Ireland.
The next year, he appeared on the U.K. television series 鈥淐hancers,鈥� in which musicians mentored artists who wanted to make it in the U.S., the BBC reported. He also was a contestant on 鈥淐elebrity Big Brother 16: UK vs USA,鈥� which was filmed in the U.K. and aired in 2015.
Scoop 鈥� sometimes stylized as Fat Man Scoop or FatMan Scoop 鈥� collaborated with Elliott on 鈥淟ose Control,鈥� a that also featured Ciara. The track won a short-form music video Grammy at the 2006 award show.
The same year as 鈥淟ose Control,鈥� he was featured on Mariah Carey鈥檚 鈥淚t鈥檚 Like That.鈥� He also was featured on tracks from Timbaland, David Guetta, and Skrillex, among other artists. In 2018, he reunited with Elliott and Ciara for a remix of the latter鈥檚 鈥淟evel Up.鈥�
Elliott praised Scoop's 鈥淰OICE and energy鈥� Saturday on X, saying he had contributed to many songs that made people happy over more than two decades.
鈥淵our IMPACT is HUGE & will be NEVER be forgotten,鈥� she added.
His longtime booking agency, MN2S, described him as an artist with 鈥渂oundless enthusiasm,鈥� a passion for music and a voice and personality that "made an indelible mark on the industry.鈥�
His MN2S representative, Sharron Elkabas, said in a statement Saturday that she had spoken to him a few days earlier.
鈥淗e was in such good spirits. It鈥檚 hard to believe he is no longer with us,鈥� she said.
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Associated Press writer Mallika Sen contributed to this report.
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An earlier version of this report had an incorrect age for Fatman Scoop.
Jennifer Peltz, The Associated Press
