Mario Anzuoni/Reuters
David Jolicoeur, the rapper known as Trugoy the Dove, who made up one-third of De La Soul, the influential Long Island hip-hop trio, has died, the group’s representative confirmed Sunday. He was 54.
The news was first reported by AllHipHop, according to Rolling Stone. No further details, including a cause of death, were shared by Jolicouer’s publicist, Tony Ferguson. But in the years leading up to his death, Jolicoeur had been open about his battle with congestive heart failure. He first disclosed his diagnosis in a 2017 music video for the De La Soul song “Royalty Capes.”
“I’m ready just to get back to the stage,” Jolicouer says in the video. “I miss that. I love traveling. I love being around my guys and I want that back.”