Bushwick Bill Passed Away at Age 52

Geto Boys rapper Bushwick Bill has passed on at the age of 52. He was in a hospital bed in Houston, surrounded by family at his time of death, around 9:35 p.m. local time. Bill's son Javon says his final words were "I will love you forever." 

In May, Bill announced a stage four pancreatic cancer diagnosis. On the heels of that news, the group planned a Farewell tour, which Bill took issue with. He dropped out of a four-city run a couple days before it was scheduled to start, citing both creative differences and health complications from cancer treatment. 

Bill, whose real name was Richard Stephen Shaw, was born with the condition of dwarfism. He lost his right eye after shooting himself during a 1991 argument with his girlfriend, while under the influence of grain alcohol and PCP. The aftermath was documented on the We Can’t Be Stopped album cover.

Bill’s group holds a special place in southern hip-hip history, helping to put Houston on the rap map with hits like “Damn It Feels Good to be a Gangsta” and. “Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” The Geto Boys are also considered innovators of the creepy horror core genre, which inspired groups like Three-6 Mafia and ICP. 

Outside of his work with the Geto Boys, Bill’s credits include an appearance on Dr. Dre’sThe Chronic and a cameo in the “Dre Day” video. He also put out solo album called No Surrender…. No Retreat in 1998, which he dedicated to a friend who was a Fort Bend County prosecutor who got shot.