Damon Albarn shares piano tribute to De La Soul's David 'Trugoy The Dove' Jolicoeur

15 February 2023, 17:08

Damon Albarn and late De La Soul rapper David 'Trugoy The Dove' Jolicoeur. Picture: 1. Jim Dyson/Getty Images 2. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty

By Jenny Mensah

The Blur and Gorillaz star has paid tribute to his friend and co-collaborator, who sadly passed away last week.

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Damon Albarn has posted a tribute to the late De La Soul rapper David 'Trugoy The Dove' Jolicoeur.

The news of the rap legend's passing at 54 years old was shared on Sunday 12th February and Albarn took to Instagram this week to share a 55-second "loop" in dedication to his Feel Good Inc. collaborator.

Taking to the platform the Blur and Gorillaz frontman wrote: "A loop for Dave. I love you."

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A post shared by Damon Albarn (@damonalbarn)

The news of the death of the pioneering hip-hop star was confirmed by De La Soul's publicist Tony Ferguson.

Jolicoeur had recently claimed to be suffering from congestive heart failure and is reported to have been using a LifeVest machine that was permanently attached to his body.

However, his official cause of death has yet to be revealed.

Jolicoeur founded the iconic rap trio alongside Posdnuos (Kelvin Mercer) and Maseo (Vincent Lamont Mason Jr) in 1987.

He also co-wrote Gorillaz's 2005 hit Feel Good Inc., which De La Soul also featured on.

De La Souls biggest hits include 1989's The Magic Number and Me, Myself and I.

De La Soul - The Magic Number (Official Lyric Video)

Tributes have continued to flood in for the late star, with Cypress Hill's B Real, hailing him as a "legend of hip hop music and culture".

He wrote: "His music will allow him to live in our hearts and minds.

"But not only was he a great musician but he was a great human being. He meant a lot to us."

The sad news of David's death came just over a week after the highly influential De La Soul were honoured during a segment celebrating the genre at the GRAMMYs on 5th February.