Remembering Prince Markie Dee

• Mark Morales, the rapper, actor and music producer better known as Prince Markie Dee of the trailblazing rap group The Fat Boys, died Thursday at the age of 52 as reported by TheWrap.com. A cause of death has not been made public. Morales’ death was initially announced by SiriusXM’s Rock The Bells Radio, where he had been working as a personality and DJ.

Born in Brooklyn, NY in 1968, Morales co-founded what was initially called “Disco 3” along with his friends Damon “Kool Rock-Ski” Wimbley and Darren “Buff Love” Robinson. They enjoyed early success and landed a record deal, releasing their first single, “Reality.”

The group later changed its name to The Fat Boys, and in 1984 released their debut album, Fat Boys, widely credited as the first time beatboxing was featured on a hip-hop recording and recognized as a crucial landmark in the transition between the old school and new school of rap. Among the highlights were the singles “Jail House Rap,” “Can You Feel It?” and the title track.

The guys made their film debut in 1985’s seminal hip hop movie, Krush Groove, and followed that two years later with a starring vehicle, the comedy Disorderlies. The Fat Boys recorded seven albums in all, with their biggest success coming in 1987 with the platinum-selling Crushin‘, which included their rap-flavored cover of “Wipeout” featuring The Beach Boys. The following year they released Coming Back Hard Again, which contained their cover of “The Twist” featuring Chubby Checker. After the group’s 1991 breakup, Morales embarked on a solo career as a performer and producer. He later became a radio personality and DJ, most recently for LL Cool J‘s Rock The Bells radio on SiriusXM.

In announcing the news of Morales’ passing, SiriusXM tweeted, “The Rock The Bells family is heartbroken to learn of the passing of Mark ‘Prince Markie Dee’ Morales earlier today. That voice and his presence can never be replaced. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones.”