MF Doom, The Masked Rapper, Dies At 49; Tributes Pour In

British rapper MF Doom, one of the most celebrated and enigmatic figures in independent hip-hop, died on Oct. 31, his wife, Jasmine, announced on social media Thursday. He was 49 years old.

She did not reveal the cause of death. In an Instagram post, Jasmine said the rapper, whose real name was Daniel Dumile, "transitioned on Oct. 31, 2020."

She wrote, "To Dumile. The greatest husband, father, teacher, student, business partner, lover and friend I could ever ask for. Thank you for all the things you have shown, taught and given to me, our children and our family. Thank you for teaching me how to forgive beings and give another chance, not to be so quick to judge and write off. Thank you for showing how not to be afraid to love and be the best person I could ever be."

"My world will never be the same without you. Words will never express what you and Malachi mean to me, I love both and adore you always. May THE ALL continue to bless you, our family and the planet," the post read.

The rapper's representative, Richie Abbott, confirmed his death to Rolling Stone.

Dumile, whose intricate rhymes earned him a cult following, was born in London but moved to New York as a child. He achieved initial success in his career in the early 1990s under the name Zev Love X when he was a part of the trio K.M.D., which also included his brother DJ Subroc. But, Subroc's untimely death in a car accident in 1993 collapsed the group, NBC News reported.

Dumile re-emerged in 1997 with a new look and persona. He adopted his now-iconic look, wearing a mask similar to Marvel villain Dr. Doom. He released his debut album titled "Operation: Doomsday" in 1999, which he himself produced under the pseudonym Metal Fingers.

But, the elusive rapper's most successful outing came in 2004. His masterpiece album, "Madvillainy," was considered "a dense, heady, soulful triumph of charismatic lyricism and brilliant sampling," according to The Guardian. "Madvillainy" gave the rapper his first entry on the U.S. album chart.

Dumile was never seen in public without his metal mask and erratic behavior, including sending an imposter to perform at some of his shows in Los Angeles and San Francisco, often earning the wrath of his fans.

In an interview with Rolling stone, Doom had said, "everything that we do is villain style. Everybody has the right to get it or not get it. Once I throw it out, it's there for interpretation. It might've seemed like it didn't go well, but how do we know that wasn't just pre-orchestrated so that we're talking about it now? I tell you one thing: People are asking more now for live shows and I'm charging more, so it must've worked somewhere."

His last full album as Doom, titled "Born Like This," was released in 2009.

Fans and colleagues took to social media to pay tribute to the rapper Thursday. In a tweet, Flying Lotus said his "soul was crushed" when he heard about Dumile's death. "All u ever needed in hip-hop was this record," Flying Lotus tweeted, referring to "Madvillainy."

JPEGMAFIA tweeted, "Rest in Peace to a true pioneer," while rapper Q-Tip said, "RIP to another Giant your favorite MC's MC .. MF DOOM!! crushing news..."

Rapper ScHoolboy Q tweeted, "Damn. NOT DOOM HOMIE."

Artists Tyler, the Creator, El-P, Lil B, Denzel Curry, Chika and various others also paid tributes to the rapper.