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").