A Tribe Called Quest rapper Phife Dawg dies at 45

An official statement has yet to be released.

Taylor's cause of death is unclear, but the New York native had health issues in the past. He underwent a kidney transplant in 2008 during a longstanding battle with Type 1 diabetes.

"It's really a sickness," Taylor said in a 2011 documentary. "Like straight-up drugs. I'm just addicted to sugar."

He also rapped about his condition in his music.

In a now viral video, WSB-TV's traffic reporterMark Arum, paid tribute to Phife Dawg in his traffic report by weaving in lyrics from A Tribe Called Quest's most popular songs, including "Award Tour" ("comin' with more hits than the Braves and the Yankees," "Ludicrously speedy, or infectious with the slow-mo" and "track record's longer than a DC-20 aircraft") and "Check The Rhime" ("Tell your mother, tell your father, send a telegram").