Rapper Kiernan ‘AKA’ Forbes dead at 35
Rapper AKA, who was born Kiernan Forbes, was reportedly shot and killed Friday in Durban, South Africa.
He was 35.
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News24 confirmed with local police that a “well-known rapper,” believed to be Forbes, was fatally shot outside a popular nightspot on Durban’s Florida Road.
“I can confirm that two men were killed and one of them is a well-known rapper. Police will not be releasing any names of the victims yet until a full investigation is completed,” law enforcement spokesperson Robert Netshiunda told the outlet.
The Post reached out to AKA’s reps for comment.
According to reports, the South African rapper was slated to perform in Durban on Friday. He was due to release a new album, “Mass Country,” on Feb. 27.
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Paramedic Garrith Jamieson told TimesLIVE that the shooting occurred just after 10:15 p.m. local time and that, upon arriving, “paramedics met total chaos and a scene where two men, believed to be in their late 30s, sustained multiple gunshot wounds.”
“Paramedics assisted the men and unfortunately the first male had sustained multiple gun shot wounds and showed no signs of life and was declared deceased at the scene,” he added.
The second unidentified male victim later died, despite life-saving efforts, the outlet reported.
Fans and fellow artists flocked to Twitter and Instagram on Friday to share their condolences and heartbreak for AKA, who was born on Jan. 28, 1988.
The rapper had posted to Instagram earlier Friday about his upcoming album release, and now the comments section is full of broken heart emojis. He also appeared to tweet just before the shooting, replying to a fan online.
In the replies, fans posted “RIP” along with heart emoticons and expressed how “worried” they are about his safety. Others begged the rapper to post something to confirm he is alive.
“Is true bro AKA are you okay?” wrote one user.
“Are you alright mate?” tweeted another.
“We’re all waiting for you to tweet something,” another pleaded.
The artist, also known as Supa Mega, has attracted over 489,000 monthly listeners on Spotify, with his biggest hits being “Lemons (Lemonade),” “Fela in Versace” and “All Eyes on Me.” His most recent release was the album “Prada” earlier this year.
In 2021, the rapper, who shared daughter Kairo with an ex, DJ Zinhle, lost his fiancée, Anele “Nelli” Tembe, after she fell to her death.