Rapper Young Dolph dies at 36 after being shot at Memphis cookie store

Rapper Young Dolph, best known for his 2020 album Rich Slave, has died at the age of 36, in a shooting in Memphis, Tenn. The rapper was shot at while at a cookie store

An APA representative said in a statement to Variety, “All of us at APA are shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of our dear friend and client, Young Dolph. The world has lost an icon, a great man and beloved artist who has been taken too soon. His dedication, drive, hard work and loyalty to all those around him always came first and he will be deeply missed. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his family at this most difficult time.”

The shooting took place on Wednesday afternoon at Makeda’s Homemade Cookies in South Memphis, local station, FOX News 13 reported. The owner of the store told the outlet that Young Dolph walked in to buy cookies when someone drove up, shot and killed him around 1 p.m.

Young Dolph, whose real name was Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr., was born in Chicago but moved to Memphis at a young age. He was the cousin of late rapper Juice Wrld.

Young Dolph’s debut studio album King of Memphis released in 2016, which reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. He dropped seven albums from 2016 to 2021, the most recent being Dum and Dummer 2 with Key Glock, which peaked at No. 8. His most successful album was 2020’s Rich Slave, which debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 and was his highest-charting release.

Young Dolph was well known in the Memphis area and donated turkeys around Thanksgiving time, donated to Hamilton High School, which he attended, and spoke to students. In 2018, he made headlines for donating $20,000 to two baristas at Duke University who were fired for playing his song Get Paid. He also flew the two out to see his performance at the Rolling Loud music festival.

Following the news of his death, tributes for Young Dolph poured in on social media from fans and fellow artists.