He was 49. No cause of death was given.
Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and “supervillain” stage persona, Dumile became a major figure of underground hip hop in the 2000s, and was described by Variety after his death as one of the scene’s “most celebrated, unpredictable and enigmatic figures”.
Born in London, Dumile moved to Long Island, New York, at a young age. He began his musical career in 1988 as a member of KMD, performing under the name Zev Love X; the group disbanded in 1993 upon the death of member DJ Subroc (Dumile’s brother). After a hiatus from music, Dumile reemerged in the late 1990s when he began performing at open mic events while wearing a metal mask resembling that of Marvel Comics supervillain Doctor Doom, who is depicted on the cover of his 1999 debut solo album Operation: Doomsday. He adopted the MF Doom persona and rarely made unmasked public appearances thereafter. Dumile never gained American citizenship. After being denied reentry to the US in the 2010s, he relocated to London, where he mostly worked in collaboration with other rappers.
Dumile’s most prolific period was in the early-mid 2000s, when between 2003 and 2005 he released four studio albums (including 2004’s Mm..Food) and two collaborative albums, using the MF Doom moniker and the pseudonyms King Geedorah and Viktor Vaughn. His sixth and final solo studio album, Born Like This, was released in 2009.
Dumile frequently worked with other producers and rappers. With producer Madlib, he formed Madvillain and released the 2004 album Madvillainy, cited as Dumile’s magnum opus and a landmark album in hip hop.[4] Dumile’s other collaborations include Danger Doom (with Danger Mouse), Doomstarks (with Ghostface Killah), JJ Doom (with Jneiro Jarel), NehruvianDoom (with Bishop Nehru), and Czarface Meets Metal Face (with Czarface).
RESOURCES:
MF DOOM Wiki
CNN Official Story