Rapper Chris King was shot dead in Nashville, Tennessee, on April 20 in an incident that also left others injured. He was 32 years old. The musician, who had close ties with Justin Bieber, Machine Gun Kelly, Keke Palmer, and Trippie Redd, was in an alley with friends when shots were fired in downtown Nashville.
Moments before the shooting, three men, who were not known to King's group, approached them and tried to rob them, as confirmed by the Nashville Police Department in a press release. King was shot along with another 29-year-old man. Both were rushed to the hospital where King succumbed to his injuries while the other survived.
Killed in Cold Blood
The artist, born Christopher Cheeks, was in an alleyway between Hayes and Church streets in Nashville at 2:30 a.m. when the attack happened. "The (surviving) 29-year-old victim reported the group was hanging out cordially for some time before the three suspects attempted to rob his group of friends," police said.
"It was then that he heard gunfire and realized he was struck."
The surviving victim has not been publicly identified by the police.
King succumbed to his injuries upon being rushed to Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Officials said that "homicide unit detectives are working strong, active leads" in the investigation into the shooting.
His celebrity friends quickly took to social media to pay tribute to the rapper after news of King's death emerged.
Justin Bieber, who was once King's roommate in the 2010s, wrote on his Instagram Story, "Love you bro. This one hurts. Please keep his family in your prayers. See you in paradise brother."
In December, King revealed that he and the "Peaches" hitmaker lived together "almost 10 years ago."
"Glad some people never change no matter what," King captioned a photo of them together on Instagram at the time. "(A)ll love, forever extended family."
Fraternity Mourns Death
Other celebrities also paid their respects to King, including rapper Trippie Redd, who shared a close friendship with the "1 Man Army" hitmaker.
"I love you until we meet again twin," Redd wrote on Instagram. "I would not be where I am today without @whoischrisking he introduced me to @elliotgrainge & @milothelight and he had the best energy always he had so many friends and it shows I love you guys for supporting one of my best friends ever my brother."
In the comments, Machine Gun Kelly remarked that "Chris was rare."
Elsewhere, Keke Palmer reminisced about how she and King started their respective careers together.
"I wish I had more photos but it's actually perfect because this is exactly how it began," she wrote alongside a throwback snap of the pair via Instagram. "I can't believe I'm saying rest in peace. This is terrible. I really don't know what to say. I just want to share that I loved you and I remember all the city walk, grove moments."
King launched his career over a decade ago, releasing several mixtapes and LPs throughout that period.
His most notable works include the "Luck of the Snotty" series, and his final project, a song titled "Seeing Double Seeing Double," was released on April 8.
The rapper was in Tennessee over the weekend to perform on Friday night at the Nashville Cannafest.
