Updated (Jan. 20, 10:15 a.m.)
It appears Fredo Santana suffered from a fatal seizure Friday night (Jan. 19), in his Los Angeles home. Family members of the rapper tell TMZ Fredo was found dead on the floor in his home by his girlfriend around 11:30 p.m.
Original Story:
Chicago rapper Fredo Santana , born Derrick Coleman, has passed away at the age of 27.
Information on his passing is scarce at the time, but it appears the MC may have suffered from kidney failure leading to his death. Last October, Fredo went to the emergency room after suffering from kidney and liver failure , a possible result of his lean usage, and shared the experience with fans on social media. "Been in here since Friday doctor say a nigga had kidney failure an liver failure," he wrote on Instagram. "Thanks for everyone who prayed for a nigga I wouldn't wish this on my worse enemy."
He later contemplated going to rehab . "Hopefully I can be the face to sho niggas to slow down an we got our whole life ahead of us fuck being rock stars gettin high I got ptsd," he opened up to fans on Twitter a few days later. "I was running from my old life tryna get high didn't want to face them demons...I'm getting help I might just go to rehab."
It appears his health issues were too much to overcome.
Fredo made his way into the mainstream spotlight along with his cousin Chief Keef in the early 2010s as part of the Chi's Drill wave. He carved his own niche and has dropped popular mixtapes like Fredo Kruger , It's a Scary Site and his Trappin Ain't Dead album. He was working on the second installment in his Walking Legend mixtape series before he passed. " Walking Legend 2 is my favorite project an I only got 7 songs done so far 🔥🔥...... can't wait to it's finished an complete," he recently tweeted.
Sadley, Chief Keef has now lost his cousin, Blood Money, GBE affiliate, Capo, friend T.Roy and now Fredo in the last four years.
Fredo is survived by his 8-month-old son, Legend.
RIP Fredo Santana.
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American rapper Fredo Santana, real name Derrick Coleman, has died at the age of 27, his close friend has said.
As yet, there is no official confirmation of his death.
Record producer and rapper Maxo Kream reported the sad news on Instagram with a picture of Fredo.
He captioned it: "Damn man I'm lost for words right now I’m cryin my ass off Fredo I love yu B***h RIP a real Savage."
Fredo had appeared in Drake's video for Hold On, We're Going Home, playing a man who kidnapped Drake's girlfriend.
Tributes from friends and his fellow musicians poured in shortly after Maxo's post, including one from Drake himself, who shared a snap of them both together.
"Rest In Peace Santana," he wrote next to it.
Fredo was born in Chicago and released his first mixtape, It's A Scary Site, in September 2012 while his debut album, Trappin Ain't Dead, was released in October 2013.
The star had collaborated with huge names in music including Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Soulja Boy and Migos.
(Image: WireImage)
(Image: REX/Shutterstock)
(Image: WireImage)
In October 2017, Fredo had spoken publicly about his health battle after being rushed to hospital with liver and kidney failure, XXLMag.com reports.
He revealed the news on Instagram from his hospital bed, telling fans: "Been in here since Friday doctor say a n***a had kidney failure an liver failure."
As a result, he said, a highly anticipated collaboration with his younger cousin Chief Keef - called Turbo Bandana - would be delayed.
"Thanks for everyone who prayed for a n***a I wouldn't wish this on my worse enemy," he added.
(Image: WireImage)
He also seemed to hint at having addiction problems, telling Twitter followers he might go to rehab after the terrifying hospital dash.
"Hopefully I can be the face to sho n***as to slow down an we got our whole life ahead of us f*k being rock stars gettin high I got ptsd," he wrote in October.
"I was running from my old life tryna get high didn't want to face them demons...I'm getting help I might just go to rehab."
(Image: Instagram/Fredo Santana)
(Image: Instagram)
Fredo was father to a baby son, Legend Derrick Coleman, who frequently appears on his Instagram.
The rapper had shared a video of his little boy's first Christmas less than a month ago, with the tiny tot wearing a Santa hat and gnawing on a box while surrounded by wrapped presents.
The proud dad welcomed Legend in June 2017 with an Instagram post of himself cuddling the blanket-wrapped baby.
(Image: Instagram/Fredo Santana)
(Image: Instagram/fredosantanassr)
(Image: Instagram/Fredo Santana)
While Fredo had appeared several times in pictures with his pregnant girlfriend, he has never referred to her by name - and even his fans don't seem to know who she is.
Shortly after his baby's birth, Fredo shared a snap of his trainers cupping a bottle of prescription-strength cough syrup better known as lean, sizzurp or purple drank.
It's a popular legal high in hip hop circles and contains codeine and promethazine that together make the user feel dazed and high. In high dosage, it is linked to liver failure.
(Image: Instagram/Fredo Santana)
But fans begged Fredo not to touch the medicine, telling him in June 2017 that he had better things to focus on.
"Now u got a baby man.... get clean and be a responsible parent," one wrote on his Instagram.
"Leave that drank alone brah," said another.
And a third told him: "Fredo. are you still sippin lean?i'm really worry about health."
Fredo Santana has died. The Chicago drill rapper born Derrick Coleman, who released songs alongside artists such as Kendrick Lamar and Migos, passed away following a seizure, as TMZ reports. He was 27 years old. Santana was also the cousin of fellow Chicago artist Chief Keef; he was referenced in the lyrics for Keef’s breakout single “I Don’t Like” (“Fredo in the cut, that’s a scary sight”) and subsequently signed to Keef’s Savage Squad Records. He most recently released the mixtape Fredo Kruger 2 in the fall of last year. In 2013, Santana became known to wider audiences after making an appearance in Drake’s “Hold On, We’re Going Home” video.
Last fall, Santana was hospitalized for kidney and liver failure. In an Instagram post uploaded at the time, he announced the news and thanked fans for their support.
Fredo Santana, Chicago drill rapper and cousin of Chief Keef, has died at the age of 27.
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While no cause of death was officially revealed, TMZ reports that the rapper born Derrick Coleman suffered a fatal seizure Friday night in Los Angeles.
Houston rapper Maxo Kream was among the first to post about Santana's death on social media, "Damn man I’m lost for words right now I’m cryin my ass off Fredo I love yu Bitch RIP a real Savage." Drake also posted a photo of him and Santana with the caption "Rest In Peace Santana"; Santana had a cameo in Drake's video for the hit "Hold On, We're Coming Home."
On October 12th, Santana posted a video on Instagram of the rapper in the hospital, where he was being treated for "kidney failure [and] liver failure." Two days later, Santana said that he was "out of the hospital" and "on my way to the studio."
The rapper later told fans that his health issues were likely the result of continued lean usage, and that he was considering rehab to deal with the addiction. TMZ notes that seizures are a side effect of prolonged lean consumption.
Santana's debut mixtape It's a Scary Site arrived in 2012 with appearances by fellow Chicago rappers King L, Lil Durk, Lil Reese and Chief Keef. Santana's lone studio album, 2013's Trappin Ain't Dead, featured Kendrick Lamar on the track "Jealous." In 2017, Santana released a pair of mixtapes, Plugged In and Fredo Kruger 2.
