Young Noble, a member of Tupac Shakur’s rap group the Outlawz, has died. He was 47.
E.D.I. Mean, a fellow Outlawz member, confirmed his death on Instagram and said he reportedly died by suicide.
“Today I got some of the worst and unexpected news imaginable. My brother and partner for over 30 years took his life this morning,” he wrote on Instagram Friday. “Rest in Power Rufus Young Noble Cooper.”
He added, “I obviously am in no shape to talk about this right now so PLEASE give his family and I some time to process this. Mental illness is a real battle being fought by so many. CHECK ON YOUR FOLKS!”
Shakur’s official Instagram account, which is managed and operated by his estate, reshared Mean’s posts.
Young Noble, whose real name is Rufus Lee Cooper III, was born in Sierra Madre, California, and moved to New Jersey as a child. There, he met future Outlawz members Hussein Fatal and Yaki Kadafi.
Cooper crossed paths with Shakur in California after moving back to his native state while the latter rapper was working on his 1996 record All Eyez on Me. He made his debut on Shakur’s posthumous album, The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory, and was featured on songs “Bomb First (My Second Reply),” “Hail Mary,” “Life of an Outlaw” and “Just Like Daddy.”
He released his debut solo album, Noble Justice, in 2002. 10 years later, his second record Son of God came out, followed by Powerful in 2016 and 3rd Eye View in 2019.