There’s an unbreakable bond that forms when two lifelong friends cross the crucible of sudden fame together as teenagers. That was the message in an emotional note released by Chris Smith, the other half of 1990s hip-hop duo Kris Kross, the day after his partner Chris Kelly was found dead on Wednesday of a suspected drug overdose.
“Chris Kelly was my best friend. He was like a brother,” wrote Smith, known as Mac Daddy, in a statement, according to E! Online. “I love him and will miss him dearly. Our friendship began as little boys in first grade. We grew up together. It was a blessing to achieve the success, travel the world and entertain Kris Kross fans all around the world with my best friend. It is what we wanted to do and what brought us happiness. I will always cherish the memories of the C-Connection.” The Fulton County Medical Examiner completed an autopsy on the body of Kelly, 34, on Thursday that showed no signs of trauma or foul play, but was inconclusive. Though a drug overdose is suspected, an official cause of death will not be determined for several weeks as officials await the results of toxicology tests.
In a police report on the incident obtained by MTV News, officers describe arriving at Kelly’s home at 5:45 pm on Wednesday in response to a report of a death. Paramedics found Kelly lying unresponsive on the living room couch with “no life signs.” After moving him to the floor to administer CPR, they transported him to Atlanta Medical Center South, where Kelly, one-half of the Atlanta-based duo best known for their 1992 smash “Jump,” was pronounced dead a short time later.
According to the report, Kelly’s mother, Donna Kelly Pratte, spoke to the investigating officer and said that Chris had taken a mixture of heroin and cocaine the night before. In the report, Pratte said she had brought Kelly home to “recover from his drug use and that he had done this several times in the past.”
