rip guru

[jamaal]

Rap DJ Guru (Keith Elam) of the hip-hop group Gang Starr lost his battle with cancer and passed away April 19, 2010. Elam was 43 years old.

While in hospital recieving treatment for cancer, Guru wrote a heartfelt letter that was to be published for his fans in the event that he didn’t make it. Here’s a portion of that letter from the DJ Premier Blog:

“I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options. I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting,”

During his battle with cancer, Guru suffered a cardiac arrest on Feb. 28, 2010. On March 2 he was reported to be recovering after surgery to repair the damage and a statement released to AllHipHop.com on March 3 said that he had emerged from a coma.

On April 19, 2010 Guru died of complications related to his cancer and cardiac problems. R.I.P. Guru.

[insanity]

rip 2 the dead rapper. its always sad when people die from cancer

[hobomotel]

Damn. Shock to me. Only 43. rest in peace Guru.

[Big G.O.V.]

SHIT i didnt knew that... Rest In Peace Guru, have a good time! see u in heaven!!!


MAY U REST IN PEACE GURU!!!!

[skitzo]

damn..R.I.P.!

[Shiva]

Jesus, well everyone gota go at some point, just he was so young. RIP

[makapp]

RIP

[2Lek]

Rest In Peace! We'll be missing You

[Bushi]

another one of my musical heros drops, well he is in peace now.

music will remain

[DJ Manny]

R.I.P Guru i loved your music...

[JayFromTheBay]

rest in peace guru ;(((

its very sad information to me every gangstarr album was classic shit and always it was something new now it's over...

[HAL 9000]

rip guru

[onealien]

yeah...sad day yo...

that jazzmatazz is one of my all time favs...dude had mad skillz..

RIP...

[Shintoshio]

The man that brought us albums with only sick flows and lyrics, with actual meaning.

Rip Guru,

rip 2 the dead rapper. its always sad when people die from cancer

'Rappers spit rhymes that are mostly illegal, MC's spit rhymes to uplift their people.'

Guru is an MC, not a rapper.

[Smoka]

Guru Of Gangstar Dies!

"After a nearly two-month hospitalization, legendary rapper Guru (best known as the frontman for Gangstarr) died Monday morning (April 19), after a long battle with cancer, reports DJPremierBlog.com. He was just 43 years old. Solar, Guru's business partner and sidekick in recent years, told the Yo!Raps (who's PR company had been coordinating press for Guru since his hospitalization) that the 43-year-old rapper had been suffering from a "malicious illness for over a year and after numerous special treatments under the supervision of medical specialists failed". He had tried to keep the cancer diagnosis private, but in early March, news leaked that Guru had been admitted to the hospital, suffered a heart attack, and was recovering from a mystery illness. Previous reports said he suffered from Anoxia, effects from a lengthy history of asthma and lung problems, but these new findings reveal a much worst condition. "The world has lost one of the best MCs and hip-hop icons of all-time -- my loyal best friend, partner, and brother, Guru," Solar said in a statement. "Guru has been battling cancer for well over a year and has lost his battle! This is a matter that Guru wanted private until he could beat it, but tragically, this did not happen. The cancer took him. Now the world has lost a great man and a true genius. "For the fans that reached out with love and support, I can't tell you how much that meant to Guru and myself. Guru prepared this letter (read below) while he was in the hospital for the fans," the producer continued. "I hope now that Guru has moved on to a better place." -
Below is his last letter
According to Yo! Raps, Guru penned this letter to fans, explaining his illness while in the hospital with terminal cancer. Read it below in its entirety: - Ballerstatus

I, Guru, am writing this letter to my fans, friends and loved ones around the world. I have had a long battle with cancer and have succumbed to the disease. I have suffered with this illness for over a year. I have exhausted all medical options. I have a non-profit organization called Each One Counts dedicated to carrying on my charitable work on behalf of abused and disadvantaged children from around the world and also to educate and research a cure for this terrible disease that took my life. I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting. My loyal best friend, partner and brother, Solar, has been at my side through it all and has been made my health proxy by myself on all matters relating to myself. He has been with me by my side on my many hospital stays, operations, doctors visits and stayed with me at my home and cared for me when I could not care for myself. Solar and his family is my family and I love them dearly and I expect my family, friends, and fans to respect that, regardless to anybody's feelings on the matter. It is my wish that counts. This being said I am survived by the love of my life, my sun KC, who I trust will be looked after by Solar and his family as their own. Any awards or tributes should be accepted, organized approved by Solar on behalf myself and my son until he is of age to except on his own. I do not wish my ex-DJ to have anything to do with my name likeness, events tributes etc. connected in anyway to my situation including any use of my name or circumstance for any reason and I have instructed my lawyers to enforce this. I had nothing to do with him in life for over 7 years and want nothing to do with him in death. Solar has my life story and is well informed on my family situation, as well as the real reason for separating from my ex-DJ. As the sole founder of GangStarr, I am very proud of what GangStarr has meant to the music world and fans. I equally am proud of my Jazzmatazz series and as the father of Hip-Hop/Jazz. I am most proud of my leadership and pioneering efforts on Jazzmatazz 4 for reinvigorating the Hip-Hop/Jazz genre in a time when music quality has reached an all time low. Solar and I have toured in places that I have never been before with GangStarr or Jazzmatatazz and we gained a reputation for being the best on the planet at Hip-Hop/Jazz, as well as the biggest and most influential Hip-Hop/Jazz record with Jazzmatazz 4 of the decade to now. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time. And we as a team were not afraid to push the envelope. To me this is what true artists do! As men of honor we stood tall in the face of small mindedness, greed, and ignorance. As we fought for music and integrity at the cost of not earning millions and for this I will always be happy and proud, and would like to thank the million fans who have seen us perform over the years from all over the world. The work I have done with Solar represents a legacy far beyond its time and is my most creative and experimental to date. I hope that our music will receive the attention it deserves as it is some of the best work I have done and represents some of the best years of my life.

R.I.P GURU!