Popular rapper Saint Dog, whose real name was Steven Thronson, passed away at the age of 44 after he was found struggling to breathe at a friend's house in Victorville, California. The late rapper breathed his last in the early hours of Wednesday. The rapper, a founding member of the hip-hop band Kottonmouth Kings, was pronounced dead at 12:10 am, after suffering breathing problem, leading his friend to contact 911.
The late rapper's death was confirmed by his management in a post shared on his Instagram account on Wednesday afternoon. The management captioned an image of the rapper, "Rest In Peace, Rest In Power to a true underground legend. Saint Dog aka Saint Vicious passed away yesterday in Southern California. Saint was a unique individual that had a profound impact on anyone he came in contact with. While Saint is no longer with us, his music will live on forever. Rest easy, King. – Management"
According to TMZ, there were no obvious signs of foul play and the cause of the demise will only be determined after autopsy and toxicology reports are revealed. The cause of death is being investigated by the San Bernardino Sheriff's Department.
Following the news of the star's demise, many fans flooded social media with condolences and mourned the loss of the rapper. One Twitter user wrote, "Damn dude, way too young! Was hoping to see you on stage with Richter & D-Loc after all this covid shit was over with. #RIPSaintDog."
Another user, mourning the loss of the late rapper, tweeted, "R.I.P. Saint Dog!!! F**k 2020!!! #KMK4EVER #RIPSaintDogKMK @kottonmouth & @icp shaped my teens and twenties w/ their special brands of music. Had some of the greatest times of my life at their shows. F**k all the haters that are gunna hate! KMK been putting in work since the 90's."
One user wrote, "Kottonmouth Kings Rapper Saint Dog Dead at 44. I got to meet him many years ago...he gave me his water bottle. Wish I kept it. Pakelika also signed my sandal "stay walkin high," wish I kept that too :'( #RIP Saint Dog."
"RIP Saint Dog, one of my first inspirations in hip-hop," another user condoling the rapper's death wrote on the micro-blogging website.
Another user tweeted, "So many memories throughout the years but I'll never forget the first time I ever met you at @thegotj #GOTJ #Y2K11 & #Y2K13 When I randomly bumped into you, barrowed yer lighter &blazed up with you. Fly High FamLoudly #KMK #SpadedFamily #Legend #RIPSaintDog @stdog."
The late rapper founded the band Kottonmouth Kings with Daddy X, D-Loc, Lou Dog, and DJ Bobby B in 1996. The group fused hip hop, punk, rap-rock with other genres, and often talked about marijuana in their tracks. Saint Dog appeared in the band's first two projects, 1998's 'Stoners Reeking Havoc' and 1999's 'Hidden Stash'. He also appeared in the band's debut studio album 'Royal Highness'. The rapper also contributed to 'Mile High', 'Krown Power', and the group's last album, 2018's 'Kingdom Come'.
Saint Dog left the California-based band to pursue a solo career. His debut solo album titled 'Ghetto Guide', was released in 2004. After collaborating with several other artists and dropping his second solo album called 'USA (Unconformable Social Amputees)', the rapper returned to his band to appear as a featured artist on their 2015 record, 'Krown Power'.
Saint Dog officially re-joined the lineup in 2018 to release 'Kingdom Come'. The rapper's third and final solo album titled 'Bozo' had been released in 2019.
