Hawthorne, CA – Big Syke, a rapper that was a former member of 2Pac‘s Thug Life group, has died at the age of 48. The artist born Tyruss Himes was found dead in his Hawthorne, Calif. home and sources close to the case say he died of natural causes.

Himes’ career began in the early 90s with his group the Evil Mind Gangstas with Domino and Mental Illness according to a Wikipedia entry. After meeting Tupac Shakur in 1992, Himes joined with 2Pac, Stretch and Mopreme Shakur for their lone 1994 collaborative release, Thug Life: Volume 1.

After the dissolvent of Thug Life, Himes embarked on a solo career and was prominently featured on 2Pac’s All Eyez On Me album, most notably on the title track and fan favorite record, “Picture Me Rollin’.”

Over the course of his career, Himes released four solo projects, including a self-titled 2002 release on Rap-A-Lot Records. According to his Wikipedia page, Himes’ last release was a 2007 mixtape. Last year, a trailer for a film titled Last Thug Standing appeared online but not much else is known about the project.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seCUByme7g0

Condolences for Big Syke have been popping up on Twitter from fans and fellow collaborators alike including Crooked I, Danny Boy, and Styles P among others.

HipHopDX sends our condolences to friends and fam of Big Syke.