Celebrities are paying tribute to the life and legacy of Grammy-nominated rapper Nipsey Hussle.
The 33-year-old, whose given name was Ermias Davidson Asghedom, was fatally shot on Sunday afternoon outside his South Los Angeles store, Marathon Clothing Company.
At approximately 3:20 pm there was a shooting reported in the area of Slauson Ave and Crenshaw Blvd. 3 victims were transported to a local hospital where one was pronounced deceased. We have no suspect info at this time and will provide more details as they become available.
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti's Crisis Response Team said, "Today we lost a great musician, Nipsey Hussle. Our Mayor's Crises Response Team has responded to this tragedy. We are now consoling and offering support to the family. Our prayers are with them and all those who knew and loved Nipsey Hussle."
Not long after his death was announced, celebrities began sharing tributes to Hussle.
Rihanna wrote: "My spirit is shaken by this! Dear God may His spirit Rest In Peace and May You grant divine comfort to all his loved ones! I'm so sorry this happened to you @nipseyhussle."
This doesn’t make any sense! My spirit is shaken by this! Dear God may His spirit Rest In Peace and May You grant divine comfort to all his loved ones! 💔🙏🏿 I’m so sorry this happened to you @nipseyhussle
Pharrell Williams described Hussle as an inspiration who was "about something positive."
You were about something..positive and for your community in every chance you had to speak..and because of that You inspired millions..millions who will uphold your legacy forever. rest amongst the stars. 🙏🏾 https://t.co/7gZ795wcQT
Watching Nipsey inspired me to invest and own in our communities. He was a solid man who loved his woman, his family and his community. This hurts.
Award-winning director Ava DuVernay pledged to remember the rapper for being "bright, genuine, forward thinking."
I’ll remember him this way. Bright, genuine, forward thinking. I’ll remember the beauty that he saw in our community. And the beauty that he was. He loved us. He’s left that love with us. And it cannot die. Rest in Power, King. You mattered. #FarewellNipsey
Drake told his followers that Hussle's death left his energy "at a low." He said the two has had made plans to reconnect musically this summer for a follow-up to their 2013 studio collaboration.
Drake wrote: "We just linked for the first time in years and said we were gonna do a new song this summer cause it had been too long. You were having the best run and I was so happy watching from distance fam nobody ever talks down on your name you were a real one to your people and to the rest of us. I’m only doing this here cause I want the world to know I saw you as a man of respect and a don. Rest easy my g."
John Legend tweeted that he was "utterly stunned" by Hussle's death and said that the two artists had worked together just days before the shooting. "He was so gifted, so proud of his home, so invested in his community," Legend said.
RIP Nipsey. I just spent Thursday with him filming a video for a beautiful new song we created with Khaled. We filmed in Inglewood, close to where he grew up. He was so gifted, so proud of his home, so invested in his community. Utterly stunned that he's gone so soon.
Grown-ish star Yara Shahidi expressed her gratitude for "special humans" like Hussle "whose brilliance serves a higher purpose."
sending love to his family and sending motivation to all those who work tirelessly to end systematic circumstances that perpetuate this violence #NipseyHussle ❤️
Hip-hop veteran Nas also paid tribute with a post on Instagram, speaking about the dangers of being a black man in America. He promised that the rapper would "never be silenced."
"We are at a great loss today. This hurts. Straight to the point. It’s dangerous to be an MC. Dangerous to be a b-ball player. It’s dangerous to have money. Dangerous To Be A Black Man. So much hatred," Nas wrote.
"We live like our brothers and sisters in third world countries live. Right in America. Decisions we make about our own life be based on decisions cuz we might not live. Its so deep rooted. It’s not a easy fix. Hard to fix anything when kids are still living in poverty. I ain’t shutting up though, Nipsey is a True voice. He will never be silenced."
And J. Cole wrote, "This was sposed to be the year we got one in. God had bigger plans for you."
Nipsey you a legend. I respect and admire your career path and what you did for the neighborhood. My heart broke today when I saw the news. I’m praying for your loved ones. This was sposed to be the year we got one in. God had bigger plans for you 🙏🏿
Hussle, an LA Lakers fan, was remembered by NBA star LeBron James. James said they'd been texting just days ago.
He wrote: "Just spoke with you the other day on text bro! Telling you how proud I was of you and how I was gone get you to more Laker games next season. Been A Stand Up dude from Day 1. May you rest in PARADISE Young King 👑‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️ This One Hurts Big Time!"
Various videos of the late rapper speaking about his vision of investing and giving back to the community have been shared by celebrities like Colin Kaepernick, whose tribute called for supporters to "keep his legacy alive by carrying on his work."
This is so painful! @NipseyHussle was doing great work for the people. Keep his legacy alive by carrying on his work! Sending love to his family. Rest in Power King 👑
Hussle's work in the LA community included his investment and creation of Vector90, a coworking space for local entrepreneurs in Crenshaw. As part of Vector90, Too Big to Fail, a STEM hub designed to bridge the gap between Silicon Valley and LA's local youth, was created.
As an artist, his most recent musical offering Victory Lap earned the rapper a Grammy nomination for Rap Album of the Year, but missed out on the coveted prize, which went to Cardi B.
Hussle and his long-term girlfriend, actor Lauren London, had a 2-year-old son, named Kross, together. He also had a 7-year-old daughter, Emani.
CORRECTION
Lauren London is the mother of Hussle's son. Due to an editing error, a previous version of this story implied she was the mother of both his children.