Rapper Shawty Lo Dies in Car Wreck

Rapper Shawty Lo has died after he was involved in a fiery car crash on Wednesday morning.

The former D4L star, real name Carlos Walker, was driving a white Audi on a highway in Atlanta, Georgia when he crashed over a guardrail and hit a number of trees, causing his vehicle to burst into flames, according to a Fulton County police representative.

The 40-year-old rapper was reportedly ejected from the vehicle during the crash, and was pronounced dead at the scene. Two female passengers were hospitalized and treated for non life-threatening injuries, according to local news station WSB-TV.

The star’s manager Johnnie Cabbell confirmed the sad news with a post on Walker’s Twitter account, which reads, “My brother has passed he is no longer here but his spirit, his kind heart , and his music will live on Long live Shawty Lo King of Bankhead (sic).”

Cabbell also wrote on his own Instagram account, “I am so so so devastated that words can not describe how I feel right now. Shawty Lo was not just my artist he was my Brother He was My Friend. I have been Lo MGR (manager) for over 10yrs He was Loyal and he had my back when no one else did. I could count on him when I had no one else to turn to. We been thru so much together… I Genuinely love this man like my blood brother. I Will Keep His Name Alive and and His Music (sic)!!!!”

Hours before the crash, which was first reported as a hit-and-run, the rapper had posted videos of himself inside of a strip club in Atlanta.

The rapper co-founded the hip-hop group D4L in 2003 and they were best known for their 2005 hit “Laffy Taffy.” He also founded the label D4L Records, which became an imprint of 50 Cent’s G-Unit Records in 2011.

He went on to enjoy a solo career with his debut single “Dey Know,” from his album Units in the City.

In 2013, Shawty Lo also appeared in a U.S. reality TV show pilot called All My Babies’ Mamas, which centered around his 11 children with 10 different women. However, the series was scrapped after complaints it perpetuated stereotypes of black men.