According to Memphis news reports, former Three 6 Mafia rapper Gangsta Boo‘s cause of death was an accidental overdose.
The rapper (born Lola Mitchell) — who was found dead at age 43 on New Year’s Day at her home in Memphis — overdosed on fentanyl, cocaine and ethanol (alcohol), according to an autopsy report seen by NBC’s Action News 5 and Fox 13 on Wednesday (June 14).
Boo was born in the Whitehaven section of Memphis on Aug. 7, 1979. She joined local hip-hop collective Three 6 Mafia — founded by DJ Paul, Juicy J and Lord Infamous — at age 15 in 1994. That same year, she recorded “Cheefa Da Reefa,” her first solo song with the group. The pioneering Southern female rapper later unveiled her most popular hit “Where Dem Dollas At?,” from her 1998 debut album Enquiring Minds.
After the news of her death on Jan. 1, DJ Paul and Juicy J both shared tributes to their former bandmate on Instagram. DJ Paul shared a captionless photo of the late rapper, while Juicy J posted a snapshot of the pair accompanied by a broken-heart emoji. “Man we was jus together three weeks ago,” Lil Jon commented on DJ Paul’s post. “Rest well queen.”
Drake, Missy Elliott and more hip-hop luminaries also shared their condolences, and Boo’s recent collaborator, fellow Memphis MC GloRilla, felt compelled to share the messages the veteran rapper sent her when she was coming up. “I normally don’t post screenshots but the fact that she reached out to me before anybody else had a clue who I was … she always supported me & the girls way back before we blew up,” Glo wrote via Instagram on Jan. 3. “A REAL LEGEND there will never be another Gangsta Boo.”
