The New York rapper was found unresponsive at his home on July 28 at age 50
The family of rapper Chino XL has confirmed that he died by suicide.
“It’s been the most painful and personal experience of our lives but in honor of Suicide Awareness Month, we decided to share this truth,” his family said in a statement to PEOPLE about the death of the New York rapper — born Derek Keith Barbosa — who was found unresponsive at his home on July 28 at age 50.
The Ventura County Medical Examiner’s office lists his official cause of death as asphyxia as a result of ligature hanging, the statement added.
It also stated that Chino had been diagnosed with congenital heart failure in 2020 and stage 4 prostate cancer earlier this year. He struggled with life-long depression, continued the statement.
“Our father was our rock and our best friend,” his daughters said in the release. “Papa Bear loved us and taught us so much.”
“Hundreds of emails, texts, chats and beautiful posts and comments on social media, have shown us that Dad was a fountain of strength to so many,” they continued. “He encouraged and comforted pretty much everyone in his path and left this dimension with an untouchable creative legacy. We are grateful beyond words for our time with Dad and are overwhelmed by the immeasurable global outpouring of love from around the world.”
The statement also addressed false reports that the family was planning to release Chino’s album in October by clarifying that there’s currently no exact official date. They also added that an unnamed individual leaked the album online by telling people he was working on behalf of the family.