Phife Dawg, a member of the legendary hip-hop crew A Tribe Called Quest, passed away late in the evening of Tuesday, March 22, 2016. He was 45 years old.

The Five Foot Assassin had been ill with diabetes for some time, but news of his death still sent shockwaves through the hip-hop community at large as well as online. After reports popped up online and the hashtag #RIPPhifeDawg started trending nationally on social media in the early morning hours, Phife's family released a statement about the Queens rapper's death.

"Malik has passed away due to complications resulting from diabetes. 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.”

ATCQ had just recently reunited on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, performing for the first time together in 15 years to celebrate the rerelease of their debut album, Peoples’ Instinctive Travels And The Paths of Rhythm.

Phife Dawg was always known for his hilariously outrageous punchlines and one-liners, often bringing a a healthy dose of free-spirited raunch to the group with Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed and Jarobi. Phife's lyrical prowess is so highly regarded, newscasters have even been remixing his words for their broadcasts. In the wake of the news, XXL asked Tribe fans on Twitter to recite their favorite lyrics from Phife and users responded with an array of dope one liners. Check 'em out above. R.I.P Phife Diggy.

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