Chicago rapper and cousin to Chief Keef, Fredo Santana, died this morning from a fatal seizure, He was 27 years old.
Santana, whose real name is Derrick Coleman, had appeared in Drake’s video for Hold On, We’re Going Home, playing a man who kidnapped Drake’s girlfriend.
The rapper hit the mainstream in 2012 when he signed a record deal and released nearly a dozen mixtapes and albums.
Several of Santana’s fellow rappers and friends — including Canadian rapper Drake, Chicago artist Lil Durk, record producer Maxo Kream and California rapper Lil B — took to social media early Saturday to announce the news and mourn his death.
Coleman posted on Instagram in October that he was hospitalized with liver failure.
“I’m getting back to normal sorry to all my fans turbo bandana will not be dropping tomorrow due to my health issues,” Santana wrote. “Thanks for everyone who prayed for a n—- I wouldn’t wish this on my worse enemy.”
It wasn’t immediately known if those health concerns contributed to his death.
Fredo shared a snap photo of his trainers cupping a bottle of prescription-strength cough syrup better known as lean, sizzurp or purple drank.
It’s a popular legal high in hip hop circles and contains codeine and promethazine that together make the user feel dazed and high. In high dosage, it is linked to liver failure. Fans begged Fredo not to touch the medicine, telling him in June 2017 that he had better things to focus on.
“Now u got a baby man…. get clean and be a responsible parent,” one wrote on his Instagram.
“Leave that drank alone brah,” said another.
And a third told him: “Fredo. are you still sippin lean?i’m really worry about health.”
