Cause Of Death Of Hip-Hop Legend DJ Polo

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Thomas Pough, known in the hip-hop world as DJ Polo, unexpectedly died at the age of 63 on June 27, 2024. His family announced the next day on Instagram that the renowned artist had passed. DJ Polo’s cause of death has yet to be shared.

“It is with a heavy heart we mourn the loss of my father, the incredible DJ Polo. He was not only a legend to the hip hop community but also to his family, and we celebrate his life and legacy now and forever,” the Instagram post reads. “We would like to thank you all for your beautiful words and tributes – seeing the impact he made has been overwhelming, and we are so grateful… Thank you all again for your condolences and for respecting the family’s privacy at this time. We miss you, Cuzmo.”

A member of the Juice Crew, DJ Polo made his mark with rapper Kool G Rap in the mid-80s. The pair released three studio albums: “Road to the Riches” in 1989, “Wanted: Dead or Alive” in 1990, “Live and Let Die” in 1992, and the compilation album “Rated XXX” in 1996. The pair’s style is considered the blueprint when it comes to mafioso storytelling. Polo also put out his solo album “Polo’s Playhouse” two years later, in 1998.

In a conversation with Rolling Stone, Kool G Rap shared about the musical journey Polo and he experienced from when they first met up to Polo’s alleged health problems. “Now, I had heard prior to this that Polo had got Parkinson’s disease. But I’m thinking, ‘He’s probably going to have a little complications, but he’s going to be all right.'”

Kool G recounts that he and a friend finally caught up with Polo. “I made sure I [saw] him, and I saw what people was telling me [about his health]. He had complications with getting a full sentence out. He was struggling a little bit, but we was able to understand everything he was saying.

“He had us laughing, we had him laughing. I was just happy to see my man. . . [He was] one of the most realest, down-to-earth, humblest and funniest dudes a person could ever know. And I know I speak for a lot of cats that got to know Polo, personally. They would agree.”

Many of the groundbreaking DJ’s contemporaries also publicly paid their respects. Eric B. wrote on Instagram, “My brother DJ POLO we had some great times you will never be forgotten GODS speed.” And Ice-T posted on X, “I lost another friend yesterday.. DJ Polo… DJ for legendary @TheRealKoolGRap. Life is precious.”

While DJ Polo’s cause of death hasn’t been released, one thing is for sure: those who loved him will miss him.