HAMDEN, Conn. — Music artist and DJ Fatman Scoop is garnering international grief after suffering a medical emergency at a concert in Hamden on Friday evening and later passing away. He was 53, according to Billboard.
The family of Isaac Freeman, known as Fatman Scoop, posted late Saturday morning to the official Fatman Scoops Instagram and other social media platforms to confirm his passing.
"FatMan Scoop was known to the world as the undisputed voice of the club," his family said. "His music made us dance and embrace life with positivity. His joy was infectious and the generosity he extended to all will be deeply missed but never forgotten."
Hamden Mayor Lauren Garrett put out a statement Friday evening: "Tonight, while performing at Hamden Town Center Park, Isaac Freeman, aka Fatman Scoop, had a medical emergency on stage. He is being transported by ambulance to the hospital. We will provide updates when they are available. Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers."
Fatman Scoop was in Hamden Friday to perform for the town's Summer Concert Series. When promoting the event, the town of Hamden said FMS, an NYC native, "is a hype man and radio personality with several guest performances on various hip-hop songs that have topped charts."
Born Isaac Freeman III, Fatman Scoop was from New York City’s Harlem neighborhood and broke out with 1999’s “Be Faithful.” What started as a minor success in the U.S. took off in Europe with a 2003 re-release, hitting No. 1 on the singles charts in the U.K. and Ireland.
The next year, he appeared on the U.K. television series “Chancers,” in which musicians mentored artists who wanted to make it in the U.S., the BBC reported. He also was a contestant on “Celebrity Big Brother 16: UK vs USA,” which was filmed in the U.K. and aired in 2015.
Scoop — sometimes stylized as Fat Man Scoop or FatMan Scoop — collaborated with Elliott on “Lose Control,” a 2005 song of the summer that also featured Ciara. The track won a short-form music video Grammy at the 2006 award show.
The same year as “Lose Control,” he was featured on Mariah Carey’s “It’s Like That.” He also was featured on tracks from Timbaland, David Guetta, The Situation and Skrillex, among other artists. In 2018, he reunited with Elliott and Ciara for a remix of the latter’s “Level Up.”
Elliott praised Scoop's “VOICE and energy” Saturday on X, saying he had contributed to many songs that made people happy over more than two decades.
“Your IMPACT is HUGE & will be NEVER be forgotten,” she added.
His longtime booking agency, MN2S, described him as an artist with “boundless enthusiasm,” a passion for music and a voice and personality that "made an indelible mark on the industry.”
His MN2S representative, Sharron Elkabas, said in a statement Saturday that she had spoken to him a few days earlier.
“He was in such good spirits. It’s hard to believe he is no longer with us,” she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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