The Never Say Never singer, Justin Bieber, took to Instagram on Saturday to share that his longtime friend, rapper Chris King, passed away over the weekend. While the exact reason for the rapper’s death has not been confirmed, there is speculation that it was the result of an alleged shooting in Nashville, Tennessee.

Bieber, who was recently spotted having a blast at the Coachella Music Festival with his wife Hailey Bieber and friend Jaden Smith, shared a sweet message on his Instagram story by reposting a post from Chris King’s account and writing, “Love you, bro. This one hurts. Please keep his family in your prayers. See you in paradise, brother.” The post also included a video clip that King shared on December 1, remembering the time he lived with Bieber nearly a decade ago.

Additionally, rapper Trippie Redd, also known as Michael Lamar White IV and King’s best friend, confirmed King’s death online. He took to his Instagram to repost a message sharing about his best friend’s passing, paying tribute to King with the words, “Rest in Paradise.”

Who was Chris King? 

According to Last.fm, Chris King was a rapper from Fontana, California. The rapper gained fame by collaborating with fellow music artist Trippie Redd, who later became his best friend. He was also a member of Snotty Nose Mafia and 1400 alongside Trippie Redd among others.

An alt-country and honky-tonk artist with two released EPs, Bexar County and This New Almanac. Some of his songs include Can You Rap Like Me, Pt. 2 (feat. Chris King), Trippie Redd, Chris King · A Love Letter To You 4 (Deluxe). Several fellow musicians and stars took to their social media accounts and paid tribute to the star. More information is awaited regarding the details of the rapper’s death.

 Justin Bieber and Tripple Redd mourn his loss 

Apart from Justin Bieber and Trippie Redd, 26-year-old industry rapper DJ Scheme posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, mourning Chris. “Damn, dawg, wtf,” he wrote. “RIP Chris King,” DJ Scheme further commented. Several followers shared their shock at the devastating news.

“What?!?!” one X user exclaimed, while a second user asked, “Damn, is it real, bro?” “I can’t believe this s**t,” the same user commented, while a third user said, “No way… RIP, man.”

The rapper’s family has not given out any official statements to the media yet.