Christopher Wong Won, popularly known by his stage name Fresh Kid Ice, died of cirrhosis of the liver, according to TMZ.
The 2 Live Crew founder died in July, but the Miami-Dade County medical examiner’s office confirmed to the outlet that Hepatitis C, coupled with a history of alcohol, contributed to his death. Heavy alcohol abuse can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. Won suffered from acute respiratory failure and went into shock just before dying. He was 53 years old.
The medical examiner’s office confirmed to TMZ that it will allow Won’s body to be cremated and sent to a funeral home, though it is not apparent on whether this has already happened. Luther "Uncle Luke" Campbell, a one-time member of the hip-hop group, tweeted his condolences when the news broke. "My condolence goes out to the family Chris Wong Won Fresh Kid Ice of the 2 Live Crew who just passed away people we lost a legend."
A pioneer for Asian hip-hop artists, Won described his experience navigating the industry as an Asian-American in a 2016 interview, saying, "When we first started, a lot of people didn't know I was Asian. But when the videos came out, it basically crossed the group over. Other people could be like, 'Damn, that could be me. I didn't know an Asian dude was rapping like that!'”
