Kriss Kross' Chris Kelly Funeral: Rapper Laid to Rest in Atlanta
Family and friends of 34-year-old Chris Kelly said their final goodbyes to the rapper at a funeral in Atlanta.
"It's been a struggle for me every day, but there was a peace that came over me this morning because I know he's in heaven," said Chris Smith, Kelly's Kris Kross partner, in a eulogy according to the Associated Press.
Discovered by Jermaine Dupri when they were barley teenagers, Kris Kross was famous for their 1992 hit "Jump" of their debut album Totally Krossed Out. The duo had last performed together in February at the 20th anniversary of Dupri's label, So So Def.
According to Billboard, Kelly was found unresponsive on May 1 and later died of a suspected drug overdose. Kelly's mother, Donna Kelly Pratte, claimed it was due to a combination of cocaine and heroin, according to Hollywood Life.
Fellow musicians were among the 300 people gathered at Jackson Baptist Memorial Church for the funeral. Keke Wyatt, LaTocha and Tamika Scott, Ds Brat, and Dupri all showed up to honor their friend. Da Brat and Dupri wore their pants backwards in a nod to the rapper's fashion reports Us Weekly.
"He will be very missed, especially within our family," said Lemar Williams, Kelly's uncle, according to Hollywood Life. "To the world he was Kris Kross, but to us he was just Chris."
