Watch: In Memoriam: Fallen Stars of 2024
After holding out hope he might recover, OG Maco‘s family had to say goodbye.
The “U Guessed It” rapper, born Benedict Ihesiba Jr., has died, according to a statement posted to his Instagram account Dec. 27. He was 32.
“With heavy hearts, we share the heartbreaking news of the passing of our beloved Ben, known to the world as OG Maco,” his family stated Friday. “His life was a testament to resilience, creativity, and boundless love. Through his music, passion, and unwavering spirit, he touched so many lives and left a lasting impact.”
They continued, “While we grieve this immense loss, we also celebrate the extraordinary life he lived—one that will continue to inspire and uplift others. Maco’s influence, both as an artist and as a person, will remain forever etched in our hearts.”
His family had previously shared Dec. 15 that he was hospitalized in critical but stable condition and they were “staying hopeful” as he continued to fight. They also noted that the artist’s official social media accounts would be the “only source for valid information” for updates.
TMZ first reported he was hospitalized in Los Angeles on Dec. 12.
Tributes poured out for the rapper from College Park, Ga., a member of XXL‘s oft-prescient annual Freshman Class of 2015 (alongside the likes of Gucci Mane and Vic Mensa) who had risen through the ranks of up-and-comers.
“Rest in peace to OG MACO,” Ice Cube‘s son O’Shea Jackson Jr. posted on X. “You had to endure so much man. I’m so f–kin sorry dude. F–k.”
While OG Maco released two studio albums, 2021’s The God of Rage and a 2023 self-titled LP, plus a slew of EPs and mixtapes, he had suffered along the way.
He was injured in a car accident in 2016, sharing photos from his hospital bed and posting, per HotNewHipHop, “Multiple skull fractures, broken orbital (surgery next week), cracked vertebrae (surgery next week) and heart palpations. I feel ALIVE!!!”
“On the bright side,” he added, “my plastic surgeon says I can’t get any uglier so fixing my face should be easy.” (His Instagram account has been scrubbed except for some pictures he posted Nov. 2, captioned “TOXSIC,” and his family’s two statements.)
Referring to a time in his life when there were wild rumors circulating about his health, he told Vlad TV in November 2016 that he’d been “extremely depressed” and “suicidal on top of it.”
“I’m going to be very honest about it,” he explained, “because of all the things that was being taken away from me, I had done so much, I had innovated so much. I did it all by myself.”
Feeling like “absolutely nothing,” it was “a terrible time in my life,” he continued. “I got real drug dependent. I didn’t want to be around, I didn’t want to have to deal with it. I just wanted to make my music, and even if you listen to my music, like ’15, was super dark…The hope was kinda gone out of my music.”
He then shared in 2019 on Instagram that he was battling a painful “skin-eating disease” he developed after being “improperly treated for a minor rash.”
“This is the best it’s looked,” he wrote alongside a photo illustrating some of what he was going through. “I hope it gives someone hope. I’ve been going through this alone 90% of the time, without the support of the person I love, without most of my ‘friends,’ without anything but my own strength and God.”
Explaining why no one had heard from him for awhile on social media, he acknowledged his condition had led him into a depression.
“I was scared, I didn’t know what was going to happen, I didn’t know if I was going to lose my entire face… I almost did,” he shared in a since-deleted video, per Complex. “My friend told me the other day that maybe I should share what I’ve been going through instead of beating myself down for feeling how I felt about it, which I wanted to die a bunch of days.”
He concluded his message, “Once I come out of this, better and more beautiful than ever, I want you guys to be ready… I’m gonna kick ass.”
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
