American rapper Fred the Godson, who was born Fredrick Thomas, has died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. He was 35.
Fred’s friend DJ Self confirmed the news and cause of death. He wrote Fred “was loved … never heard one bad thing about you RIP @fredthegodsonmusic Sleep Well my brother.”
Another good friend and collaborator Jaquae also paid tribute to his death, writing, “Sleep in peace my brother…. You’ll never be forgotten. LOVE U MAN. I have so much things to say but I’m lost right now.”
Fred the Godson was featured in XXL’s 2011 Freshman class.
On Wednesday, the New York rapper’s publicist told The Source that Thomas remained in ICU after his fever surged earlier at 105 degrees. Although his heart and vital signs were showing improvement, his kidney function was deteriorating due to coronavirus complications.
Thomas was a high-risk coronavirus patient because of his asthma. He was hospitalized and was on a ventilator earlier this month.
On April 6, the rapper posted a photo of himself holding up a closed fist and wearing supplemental oxygen, captioning, “I’m in here with this [COVID] 19 sh**! Please keep me in y’all prayers!!!”
His partner, LeeAnn Jemmott, and the mother of their two children, told XXL earlier this month that she was confident he was “going to make it.” She said Thomas was being weaned off the ventilator.
“He is fighting and he is winning,” Jemmott said. “He has no sign of infection. His heart is strong and working well. His kidneys have been affected, but as of today, he has started dialysis to clean the toxins out of his blood. Fred is going to make it. God is good!”
In 2012, Thomas released his ambitious mixtape City of God, which was hosted by DJ Drama.
Thomas is the latest musician to die from coronavirus complications, joining an increasingly long list of singers and other celebrities.
So fat, the new coronavirus has sickened more than 886,700 and killed over 50,200 people in the United States. Globally, COVID-19 has affected more than 2,726,700 and killed over 191,000 so far.
