Saafir has died after a period of ill health (Picture: Getty)
Rapper and actor Saafir, whose career was boosted by Quincy Jones andTupac Shakur, has died aged 54.
The news was announced publicly on Instagram by his friend and fellow group member of the Golden State Project, Xzibit, on Tuesday night.
Saafir, whose real name was Reggie Gibson, had been suffering from health problems in recent years and had been reportedly using a wheelchair.
‘I can’t believe I’m writing this right now, but don’t know what else to do at the moment,’ Xzibit – born Alvin Nathaniel Joiner – penned alongside a photo of Saafir.
‘Approximately at 8:45am this morning, my brother Reggie known to the world as Saafir passed away. We have so much history I can’t even explain what I’m feeling right now.
‘We surrounded him and let him know how much we loved him. He can rest now.’
The rapper and actor rose to fame in the 1990s, when he joined rap group Golden State Project (Picture: Raymond Boyd/Michael Ochs)
Saafir, pictured here in 2020, had reportedly relied on a wheelchair after spinal surgery
The 50-year-old continued: ‘Family, everyone that rocked with us from the Hip Hop community, if you could be so solid and reach out for @chopblack his younger brother, and @lilsaafir his son, the family really needs to be supported during this time.
‘That’s all I have right now. My soul is crushed.’
Trigonometry rapper Saafir rose to fame in the early nineties when he joined rap group, Golden State Project, with Xzibit and Ras Kass.
Pictured with Craig Mack, The D.O.C. and Notorious B.I.G. in 1994 (Picture: Raymond Boyd/Getty Images)
He was also part of Digital Underground, which formed in 1987 and included musical heavyweights like Tupac Shakur and Shock G, as well as Hobo Junction.
An on-air rap battle with that group against Hieroglyphics landed Saafir a record deal with legendary producer Quincy Jones, who died earlier this month at 91.
The albums that followed included his 1994 debut Boxcar Sessions, Trigonometry and The Hit List.
Saafir lived with Shakur at one point, who introduced him to acting, and in 1993 he starred in acclaimed crime film Menace II Society as Harold Lawson, alongside Jada Pinkett Smith and Samuel L. Jackson.
TMZ reported that Saafir died in his hometown of Oakland, California.
Alongside his musical career, he also appeared in crime film Menace II Society with Tyrin Turner and Jada Pinkett Smith (Picture: Moviestore/Rex/Shutterstock)
While no cause of death has been shared, in 2005 he had a cancerous tumour removed from his spine.
Although the surgery was designed to save his life and prevent him from being paralysed, he reportedly lost major function in his legs and often had to use a wheelchair.
He had previously injured his back as a passenger on TWA flight 843 on July 30, 1992, after jumping to the ground from the fiery wreckage of the plane after its aborted take off at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
He is survived by his son, rapper Lil Saafir, and his brother.
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