Saafir’s cause of death has been revealed one month after the rapper shockingly passed away on November 19 in his hometown of Oakland, California.
At the time, the late star’s former collaborator Xzibit announced Saafir’s death on Instagram and stated that he passed at ‘approximately 8:45a.m’ at the age of 54.
In a death certificate obtained by TMZ Hip Hop on Thursday, it was revealed that Saafir had died from a multitude of health complications.
Per the certificate, the cause of death was due to septic shock as well as enterocolitis — which is an infection that occurs in the small intestine or colon.
An additional cause was an infected sacral decubitus (bedsore) located towards his lower spine.
Back in 2005, Saafir — whose real name was Reggie Gibson — notably had a cancerous tumor removed from his spine, but had to use a wheelchair after losing significant functioning in his legs.
Saafir’s cause of death has been revealed one month after the rapper shockingly passed away on November 19 in his hometown of Oakland, California; seen in 1994 in Chicago
The rapper made his record debut in 1993 and became an influential figure in West Coast rap, although larger commercial success mostly evaded him.
He expanded into acting 1993 with a role in the modern crime classic Menace II Society, which also marked the feature debut of Jada Pinkett Smith.
But up until his death, Saafir had reportedly been suffering from numerous health problems in recent years and had been forced to use a wheelchair.
Last month, Xzibit — who worked with the late star in the past — announced his passing in an emotional post.
‘I’m can’t believe I’m writing this right now, but don’t know what else to do at the moment,’ he wrote at the time.
‘Approximately at 8:45am this morning, my brother Reggie known to the world as Saafir passed away.’
‘We have so much history I can’t even explain what I’m feeling right now. We surrounded him and let him know how much we loved him. He can rest now,’ Xzibit (born Alvin Nathaniel Joiner) added.
‘Friends, Family, everyone that rocked with us from the Hip Hop community, if you could be so solid and reach out for @chopblack his younger brother, and @lilsaafir his son, the family really needs to be supported during this time,’ he continued.
Per the certificate, the cause of death was due to septic shock as well as enterocolitis — which is an infection that occurs in the small intestine or colon; seen in 2020
An additional cause was an infected sacral decubitus (bedsore) located towards his lower spine; seen in 1994 in Chicago
‘That’s all I have right now,’ the Pimp My Ride host shared. ‘My soul is crushed.’
He concluded by declaring ‘We love you Bro,’ and he hoped that his fallen friend — whom he referred to be his nickname ‘The Saucee Nomad’ would ‘REST IN POWER.’
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Saafir and Xzibit’s collaboration goes back to their time in the rap group Golden State Project, which was previously went by Golden State Warriors and also featured Ras Kass as a member.
Early in his career, Saafir worked as a dancer for the hip-hop crew Digital Underground.
At one point he lived with rap legend Tupac Shakur, who set him on a path to dabbling in acting when he introduced him to the filmmaker duo Albert and Allen Hughes, who cast him in their debut Menace II Society.
In the early 1990s, Saafir was part of the hip-hop group Hobo Junction, and he achieved renown in the genre after participating in a widely publicized rap battle between his group and the East Bay group Hieroglyphics.
His triumphant performance earned him a recording contract from Quincy Jones, according to KQED.
Last month, Xzibit — who worked with the late star in the past — announced his passing in an emotional post; Xzibit seen in 2021 in L.A.
Befitting the connection to Jones — who was a jazz composer and band leader before achieving wider popularity as a popular record producer and Michael Jackson collaborator — Saafir’s record under the deal, The Boxcar Sessions, merged the sounds of jazz with West Coast hip-hop.
But the rapper was far from prolific, and several back injuries over the years may have conspired to rob him of his productivity.
Saafir was one of the passengers on TWA Flight 843, which crash landed after an aborted takeoff on July 30, 1992.
Although all the passengers survived, he injured his back when he jumped out of the burning jet to the ground before an emergency slide had been erected.
‘We have so much history I can’t even explain what I’m feeling right now. We surrounded him and let him know how much we loved him. He can rest now,’ he wrote at the time
In an interview with 48 Hills from 2013, he said the surgery was intended to save his life and prevent him from being paralyzed from the rest of his life; seen with Craig Mack, The D.O.C., and Notorious B.I.G. in 1994
But Saafir attributed many of his later issues to a cancerous tumor that was removed from his spine in 2005.
In an interview with 48 Hills from 2013, he said the surgery was intended to save his life and prevent him from being paralyzed from the rest of his life.
However, although he avoided becoming a paraplegic, he still lost some functioning in his legs, and he blamed health insurance that failed to adequately pay for treatments to help him walk again for confining him to a wheel chair.
Saafir is survived by his son, the rapper Lil Saafir, and a brother.