US rapper Biz Markie dies aged 57

New York - He died with his wife by his side.

American rapper, DJ and producer Biz Markie, who shot to fame with the 1989 hit “Just a Friend,” died on Friday aged 57, his representatives said.

He died with his wife by his side, Jenni Izumi of Biz Markie Inc. told AFP in a statement.

“Biz created a legacy of artistry that will forever be celebrated by his industry peers and his beloved fans whose lives he was able to touch through music, spanning over 35 years,” the statement read.

No cause of death was given for the rapper, whose real name was Marcel Hall, but he had experienced health issues in recent years related to type 2 diabetes, media reports said.

Known for songs often featuring amusing lyrics, including “Pickin’ Boogers” from his 1988 debut album “Goin’ Off,” “Let Go My Eggo” and “Chinese Food,” the New York-born Biz Markie earned the nickname the “Clown Prince of Hip-Hop.”

“Just a Friend,” hit No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and later was added to VH1’s list of the 100 greatest hip-hop songs.

His death triggered an outpouring of tributes.

Fellow rapper Q-Tip — whose former group A Tribe Called Quest was at the vanguard of art-house hip-hop in the 1980s and 1990s — tweeted: “This one hurts baad... im gonna miss u so so many memories.”

New York mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted his condolences, saying: “Biz Markie turned hip hop on its head and brought that New York sense of humor to audiences across the world.

“We’re mourning a true son of Harlem tonight.”

According to reports, having started out as a beatboxer in his teens, he later showed off his prodigious and pioneering skill in a memorable cameo as a beatboxing alien in the film “Men In Black II” starring Will Smith.