The passing of the 'Freaks Come Out At Night' rapper at the age of 56 has been confirmed by his hip-hop group mate Grand Master Dee, but no detail has been shared on the cause of his death.

• Dec 24, 2020

AceShowbiz - The hip-hop world has just lost one of its legend. John Fletcher, who was known as Ecstasy from the pioneering group Whodini, has passed away at the age of 56, and many in the rap community, including Questlove and Q-Tip, have since expressed their heartbreak over his unexpected death online.

Questlove was the first to bring the sad news to public attention. Through an Instagram tribute he posted on Wednesday, December 23, the drummer of The Roots mourned the loss. "One Love to Ecstasy of the Legendary #Whodini. This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop. This is sad man," he wrote alongside a black-and-white photo.

Soon after, Whodini's turntable artist Grand Master Dee confirmed Ecstasy's passing to Variety. It was not explained, however, what have caused the legendary rapper's death. Yet, it did not stop fellow hip-hop stars to pay their tributes with Q-Tip tweeting, "RIP to Ecstasy from Whodini. one of the most under appreciated voices in hip hop. Too many hits! Condolences to his fam."

Jermaine Dupri also turned to Twitter to express his grief. "My God, this one hurts me so bad,I can't even believe I'm posting this,Ex you know I love you," the 48-year-old rapper/record producer wrote. "thank you for every word,every conversation every good time,may your soul Rest In Power #whodini."

Chuck D of Public Enemy used his tribute to share the memory he has of the late icon. "1987 I entered the @Defjam tour w PE. I tended to be nervous looking at 15000 fans in front of me every night. There were 2 MCS that directly mentored my calm that summer," he recalled. "1 was @RealDougEFresh the other was Ecstacy of Whodini. Always there to reassure w advice tips #RestInBeats."

Another hip-hop star LL Cool J used Instagram to mourn the loss. "I can't believe you're gone," he bemoaned. One of the most important people in this culture to me. My friend. Exstasy rest in power #whodini."

DJ Premier, in the meantime, put out a throwback clip of Ecstasy performing in a tweet that read, "A TREMENDOUS LOSS OF OUR HEROES...NO ONE DID IT LIKE THIS...THE VOICE, THE ZORRO STYLE HAT, THE ICONIC HIP HOP THAT WHODINI BRINGS TO HIP HOP...[R.I.P. Ecstasy]Folded handsCrown SALUTE JALIL AND GRANDMASTER DEE… LOVE TO THE FLETCHER FAMILY..."

Ecstasy was the founding member of Whodini. Together with Dee and Jalil Hutchins, he released a number of hit songs, including "Freaks Come Out at Night," "One Love" and "Five Minutes of Funk", in the mid-1980s. His group's Hot 100 hit, "Friends", has been sampled by the likes of Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Tupac Shakur, Nas and Nipsey Hussle.