Rico Wade, OutKast collaborator and Organized Noize member, dies at 52

nme.com:

OutKast, has died at the age of 52.The news was confirmed by his family in a statement. “We are deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of our son, father, husband and brother Rico Wade,” it read.“Our hearts are heavy as we mourn the loss of a talented individual who touched the lives of so many.

We ask that you respect the legacy of our loved one and our privacy at this time.”No cause of death has been made available.Another of Wade’s longtime friends and collaborators was Killer Mike, who shared the news on his Instagram. “I don’t have the words to express my deep and profound sense of loss,” he wrote.A post shared by Killer Mike (@killermike)“I am praying for your wife and children.

I am praying for the Wade family. I am praying for us all. I deeply appreciate your acceptance into the Dungeon Family, mentorship, friendship and brotherhood.

Idk where I would be without y’all.”Born in East Point, Georgia on February 26, 1972, Wade founded Organized Noize in Atlanta in the early 1990s with Sleepy Brown and Ray Murray, going on to co-write and produce TLC’s ‘Waterfalls’, and produce En Vogue’s ‘Don’t Let Go’ and Ludacris’ ‘Saturday (Oooh!