WorldStarHipHop founder and CEO Lee “Q” O’Denat died suddenly on Monday (January 23) from a heart attack while visiting a San Diego massage parlor, according to the Los Angeles Times. The coroner’s office revealed that the cause of death is heart disease, with obesity as a contributing factor.
Paramedics were called when the 43-year-old digital media pioneer was found unresponsive, but they were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead around 5:30 p.m.
A source also told TMZ that Q had been pushing himself hard at the gym to lose weight ahead of the scheduled February 3 premiere of WorldStar TV, the upcoming MTV2 show where comedians and Hip Hop personalities provide commentary on videos from the site.
WorldStar posted tributes to O’Denat on their social accounts after news of his death went public.
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“Q was a brilliant businessman who championed urban culture, ultimately creating the largest hiphop website in the world,” one tweet said. “But more than that, he was a devoted father and one of the nicest, most generous persons to ever grace this planet.”