Atlanta-area authorities are investigating the death of Chris Kelly, half of the 1990s rap duo Kris Kross, as a possible drug overdose, Fulton County Police Cpl. Kay Lester said Thursday. Kelly, 34, died Wednesday at an Atlanta hospital after he was found unresponsive at his home, police said. After paramedics took him to the hospital, a woman who identified herself as Kelly’s friend told an investigator that Kelly had taken a mixture of heroin and cocaine Tuesday night, and that she had brought Kelly home “to recover from his drug use,” according to a police report. Betty Honey, with the Fulton County Medical Examiner’s Office, said that an autopsy showed no signs of trauma or foul play. toxicology report is expected to be complete in three to four weeks, at which point, a cause of death will likely be determined, she said. Kelly, together with Chris Smith, shot to stardom in 1992 with “Jump,” which spent eight weeks on top of the Billboard Hot 100.
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Man, what a damn shame. We can all act otherwise now, but if you were between the ages of 12-30 in 1992, then JUMP was the jam. We all pumped that song, over and over. The fact that it’s still remembered today is a testament to its awesomeness. I was talking to one of my coworkers during a break today about this death. I said that, sadly, I’m not all that surprised. Not that I’d heard anything about him using drugs or getting into trouble before this, but I’ve heard how tough it is being a child star. I mean, this guy was signed to a record deal when he was 13 years old and had mega-success right out the gate. Kriss Kross’ first album sold 7 million worldwide. The duo was everywhere. Touring the world with Michael Jackson, making their own video game, and other endorsements. Then two mediocre follow-up albums and four years later it’s all over. So now he’s 17 years old, and already washed-up, a has-been. That had to have been rough. And he wasn’t even a real rapper, neither was his partner Chris Smith. Jermaine Dupri wrote all their songs. So it’s not like he could even try to launch a solo rap career. I actually can’t find any info about what he was doing in-between the time the last Kriss Kross album in 1996, and a reunion performance, in honor of Jermaine Dupri, that they did last January. But I think it’s safe to say he wasn’t having the same level of success in his life.

Again, it’s nothing we haven’t seen before from other child stars. Look @ the messes the kids from Different Strokes went through, with two of them ending up dead. So many others end up broke and having addiction problems with drugs and/or alcohol. He wasn’t the first, and won’t be the last. Well, Rest In Peace, Mac Daddy. You brought many of us a lot of joy, and you will be missed.