Former Roots Member Malik B Confirmed Dead At Age 47

Former member of The Roots, Malik B., has died. He was 47.

A rep for the musician confirmed the news to Variety on Wednesday. The remaining band members, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson and Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter also addressed the unfortunate loss in a statement.

"It is with heavy hearts and tearful eyes that we regretfully inform you of the passing of our beloved brother and long time Roots member Malik Abdul Baset," the statement read. "May he be remembered for his devotion to Islam, His loving brotherhood and His innovation as one of the most gifted MCs of all time. We ask that you please respect his family and extended family in our time of mourning such a great loss."

The Roots Twitter page also sent out a statement.

The Roots, originally called The Square Roots, were formed by Thompson and Trotter in 1987 when the duo attended Philadephia's Creative and Performing Arts High School. Baset would later join to make the group a trio and go on to complete four albums with them. The four albums are the 1993 debut studio album "Organix," as well as the follow-ups- 1995's"Do You Want More?!!!??!," 1996's "Illadelph Halflife," and 1999's "Things Fall Apart."

He left in 1999 before their fifth album, "Phrenology," was released. One of the songs on the album was dedicated to Baset by Black Thought, who rapped about how they met.

Baset went on to become a member of the underground group Army Of The Pharaohs. He also had a solo career that saw the release of an EP and two albums, with the most recent being his 2016 album "Unpredictable."