Rapper Young Dolph, 36, shot and killed in Memphis
Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., better known as rapper Young Dolph, was shot and killed in his native Memphis, Tenn., on Wednesday.
Local station FOX13 reported that his death was confirmed by three independent law enforcement sources. Later Wednesday afternoon, Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland confirmed his death in a tweet.
“The tragic shooting death of rap artist Young Dolph serves as another reminder of the pain that violent crime brings with it,” the mayor wrote. “My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
The 36-year-old rapper reportedly walked into the bakeshop Makeda’s Butter Cookies when an unidentified person drove up and shot him, the store’s owner, Maurice Hill, recounted to FOX13, based on employees’ accounts of the incident.
Young Dolph was well known in the city, for which he named his 2016 debut studio album, “King of Memphis.” The album reached No. 49 on the Billboard 200 chart, a record he beat in 2020 with his seventh album, “Rich Slave,” which reached No. 4.
Footage of police at the scene of the shooting quickly went viral on social media, where fans reacted with horror to Dolph’s death and mourned his loss.
Among the artists sharing tributes on social media was three-time Grammy winner Megan Thee Stallion, who worked with the rapper on his 2020 song “RNB” and posted on Instagram: “Everybody that know me knows I play this man music EVERY DAY ! He was so genuine so real so kind to me and tfarris always !!! Rest In Peace to a real legend.”
Grammy-nominated rapper Gucci Mane, tweeted, “R. I.P. to my friend Dolph this broke my heart,” and Chance The Rapper added his own Twitter tribute: “God bless Dolph …Real independent Memphis rapper born in chicago. loved by millions of ppl. Always showed love everytime I seen him this is tragic God bless his family man.”
Dolph was previously shot and critically wounded in September 2017 after three men confronted him outside Memphis’ Loews Hollywood hotel before a fight broke out, during which Dolph was shot. The shooting was the second that year involving Dolph: In February 2017, Dolph’s SUV was barraged with bullets in Charlotte, NC, prompting the rapper to get custom bulletproof panels for his vehicle. He referenced the ordeal in his Billboard-ranked track “Bulletproof,” released that April.
Despite his success, he repeatedly publicly contemplated retiring from making music.
Dolph also made headlines in 2019 when he expressed no anger at thieves who stole $500,000 worth of jewelry from his vehicle. “I really don’t give a damn about that s–t. I’m too blessed and highly favored, you know what I mean? It’s like, s–t like that, people like that, all of us put together, that’s what makes the world go around,” he said at the time.
Later that year, he revealed that he was related to the late rapper Juice Wrld.
Dolph performed late last month during Rolling Loud New York 2021 at Citi Field in Queens.
