It’s still hard to believe that Phife Dawg is no longer here with us. On Wednesday (March 23), the surviving members of A Tribe Called Quest issued a statement regarding their fallen comrade and sent well wishes to his family.

The statement reads:

Our hearts are heavy. We are devastated. This is something we weren’t prepared for although we all know that life is fleeting. It was no secret about his health and his fight. But the fight for his joy and happiness gave him everything he needed. The fight to keep his family happy, his soul happy and those around him happy, gave him complete and unadulterated joy… until he heeded his fathers call.

We love his family his mother, his father, his son, his wife, his nieces, his family here in New York, Atlanta, California and Trinidad.

Thank you for the outpouring of prayers and support from the fans, fellow artists, music outlets, blogs, radio stations, DJ’s, social media and the music community at large. This too is part of his joy and means a lot to him. His family is overwhelmed by the support, well wishes and are thankful. His music and what he’s contributed is seismic and hard to measure. He’s affected us as much as he’s affected all of you. We’re inspired by his daily joy and courage. He wasn’t in pain. He was happy.

We take comfort in knowing he will be beside his grandmother."

As we previously reported, the family of Phife Dawg, whose real name is Malik Taylor, revealed in a statement that the ACTQ rapper's cause of death was complications from diabetes.

"We regret to share the news that on Tuesday March 22nd, Malik has passed away due to complications resulting from diabetes," it reads. "Malik was our loving husband, father, brother and friend. We love him dearly. How he impacted all our lives will never be forgotten. His love for music and sports was only surpassed by his love of God and family."

Rest in peace, Phife Dawg. You will be sorely missed.

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