The rap performer had been hospitalized in February after suffering cardiac arrest and falling into a coma.
Born Keith Elam and raised in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood, he founded Gang Starr in the '90s in New York; his professional handle was an acronym for “Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal."
Working in tandem with DJ Premier, Guru flexed a jazzy hip-hop style that eschewed gangsta rap clichs. Gang Starr released six albums between 1989 and 2000; the group's bestseller, 1996's “Moment of Truth," climbed to No. 6 on the national charts.
After a bitter split with Premier, Guru founded Jazzmatazz, which took his fusion of jazz and hip-hop even further by employing such well-known instrumentalists as Roy Ayers, Lonnie Liston Smith, Donald Byrd, Freddie Hubbard, Herbie Hancock and Ramsey Lewis. The unit's fourth and final album was issued in 2007.
The death of Guru -- real name Keith Elam -- comes amid a family drama that has brewed since the MC went into a New York hospital Feb. 2. Nephew Justin Nicholas-Elam Ruff issued a video in early March on behalf of the hip-hop star's family, alleging Solar had cut off information and access. In a farewell letter written in the hospital, Guru distanced himself from his GangStarr collaborator DJ Premier and left his legacy in the hands of Solar.
MC Guru rose to fame in the late 1980s working with Premier, aka Christopher Martin. It was revealed recently that the two hadn't spoken in seven years.
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