Louie Rankin, the Jamaican dancehall singer (known as the “Original Don Dada”) and film actor has died, following a tragic car crash in Ontario, Canada, TMZ reports. Rankin was a Jamaican native who grew up in Saint Thomas Parish and East Kingston and was living in Toronto at the time of his death.
According to Heavy, Rankin was 55 years old and is survived by his wife, Jewlz Sykes, and seven children (three of whom the couple shared). Sykes was also Rankin’s executive assistant.
Rankin’s 1992 hit “Typewriter” earned him a Grammy. He was also well-known on the film scene, starring in Belly (as Jamaican kingpin Lennox) and Shottas (as Teddy Bruck Shut).
Following the filming of Belly, Nas and Rankin became close friends and publicly reunited for a cameo in DJ Khaled’s “Nas Album Done” music video.
“We got the call at 9:17 a.m. this morning,” Dufferin Ontario Provincial Police Constable Shannon Gordanier confirmed to Global News on Monday morning— an investigation is underway. “Both vehicles were single occupants – one person in each vehicle. We’re waiting for the traffic collision investigation team to attend the location and help us determine exactly what did happen. We’re not speculating at this time.”
Rest in power, Original Don Dada.