Gangsta Boo, original part of Three 6 Mafia, found dead in Memphis - Commercial Appeal

She was sometimes called "the Queen of Memphis." Other times she was "Lady Boo." But astir often, she was "Gangsta Boo," — fixed name, Lola Mitchell.

On the archetypal time of 2023, Mitchell, 43, was recovered dormant successful a friend's location successful Memphis, according to The Commercial Appeal quality spouse WMC Action News 5, who spoke with Delmar H. Lawrence, besides known arsenic Mr. Del. Lawrence was a collaborator with Three 6 Mafia — the iconic Memphis group that propelled Mitchell and others to fame.

Lawrence's comments were immoderate of the galore that poured from chap artists who worked with Mitchell.

The origin of Mitchell's decease is unknown; her passing comes conscionable 1 twelvemonth aft Memphis grieved the sidesplitting of Castilia Heights-born Adolph Thornton Jr., champion known arsenic Young Dolph.

Monday afternoon, constabulary confirmed Mitchell's decease successful a tweet, saying officers recovered her deceased astir 2:18 p.m. Sunday erstwhile responding to a telephone successful the 1600 artifact of Raines Road. The probe is ongoing and results of her autopsy are pending, but determination were nary contiguous signs of foul play, constabulary said.

Gangsta Boo:Celebrities respond to Gangsta Boo's death: 'Queen of Memphis FOREVER'

By aboriginal Sunday evening, tributes for artists Mitchell worked with straight oregon influenced began to accumulate.

Alphonzo Bailey, a renowned Memphis rapper known arsenic Al Kapone, was a person and collaborator of Mitchell. He described Mitchell's passing arsenic a deep, important nonaccomplishment for Memphis. Mitchell, helium told The Commercial Appeal, fto him cognize aboriginal connected what his ain benignant and power meant to her.

"This is simply a large nonaccomplishment for the Memphis rap community," Bailey said. "Boo is 1 of the archetypal to correspond pistillate rappers successful a large mode and inactive is respected by the caller pistillate rappers contiguous similar GloRilla and Gloss. Gangsta Boo is 1 of the reasons Memphis rap is planetary today. We volition miss her and volition ever correspond her legacy. I'm sending my condolences to her family."

DJ Paul, 1 of the founding members of Three 6 Mafia and aboriginal collaborators with Mitchell, took to societal media to wage tribute to her Sunday, with a wordless station of Mitchell astatine a turntable mixer.

Largely considered a pioneer among pistillate rappers, Mitchell's dependable emergence arsenic an ambassador of Memphis hip-hop started with her enactment connected Three 6 Mafia's archetypal full-length workplace album, "Mystic Stylez," successful the mid-'90s. She recorded respective albums with the archetypal halfway of Three 6 Mafia earlier parting ways with the radical aft the 2001 merchandise of her 2nd solo album, "Both Worlds *69."

And portion her archetypal occurrence is mostly associated with Three 6 Mafia, her solo enactment held its own. In 1998, she released "Enquiring Minds," which included the hit, "Where Dem Dollars At?!"

All 3 of her solo albums ranked connected R&B charts. A dependable watercourse of premix tapes and collaborations kept her sanction successful play implicit the span of a vocation astir 3 decades long.

Last week, Mitchell filmed an unreleased video with chap Memphian and award-winning shaper Drumma Boy, according to a written connection from Echo Hattix of Echoing Soundz.

Hattix besides shared a statement from Veronica Mitchell, Mitchell's mother, and different members of the family:

“The Mitchell household would similar to convey everyone for their condolences regarding the untimely decease of Lola ‘Gangsta Boo’ Mitchell. The household is asking for your continued prayers and privateness arsenic we process the nonaccomplishment of our loved one,” they said.

The connection from Hattix besides said the origin of decease had not been released owed to the ongoing investigation.

Mitchell's relevance arsenic 1 of the archetypal large pistillate rappers representing the South has endured, and she shone a spotlight connected different pistillate rappers who followed, including Gloria Woods, amended known arsenic GloRilla, the latest Memphis rapper to nab the nationalist spotlight with hits similar "F.N.F."

In November of 2022, Mitchell made an quality connected the fashionable taste programme "Drink Champs," and spoke of the rising stars of GloRilla and Memphis rapper Gloss Up; supporting women successful rap, Mitchell said, was important.

"It conscionable made maine consciousness good, 'cause they went whack and they represented Memphis right," Mitchell said.

On Sunday evening, Woods shared screenshots, reportedly of conversations betwixt her and Mitchell.

"She ever supported maine & the girls mode backmost earlier we blew up," Woods said.

Commercial Appeal newsman Katherine Burgess contributed to this report.

Micaela Watts is simply a newsman for The Commercial Appeal covering issues tied to entree and equity. She tin beryllium reached astatine micaela.watts@commercialappeal.com.