PRINCE MARKIE DEE, a member of the pioneering hip-hop group the Fat Boys, died on Thursday, the group’s manager Louis Gregory confirmed. He was 52. No cause of death has been given.

“Forever in my heart. Prince Markie Dee was more than a rapper; he was one of my very best and closest friends,” Gregory wrote on Twitter. “My heart breaks today because I lost a brother. I’ll always love you Mark and I’ll cherish everything you taught me.”

Born Mark Anthony Morales on Feb.19, 1968, he teamed up with Darren Robinson (the Human Beatbox) and Damon Wimbley (Kool Rock Ski) and performed under the name The Disco 3 before later becoming the Fat Boys. The group launched their career in 1983 when they won a talent contest at Radio City Music Hall and by the end of the decade they had become one of rap’s premier pop culture ambassadors with the simultaneous release of their platinum-selling fourth album “Crushin” and their breakout comedy film “Disorderlies” in the summer of 1987. The trio popularized beatboxing and their goofy sense of humor and affable demeanors made them essential to bringing rap music to the mainstream.

Following the Fat Boys’ breakup, Dee launched a solo career and wrote and produced songs for Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez and Mary J. Blige (the latter recording Morales’ “Real Love” to become her first Top 10 hit). His 1992 album “Free” garnered a No.1 hit with “Typical Reasons (Swing My Way).”

He moved into radio later in his career, serving as a drive-time host WMIB in Miami, and had his own show, “The Prince Markie Dee Show” on SiriusXM’s Rock the Bells station.

(SD-Agencies)