What happened to John Fletcher of the hip-hop group 'Whodini'?

Rapper John “Ecstasy” Fletcher, who was the founding member of the hip-hop group Whodini, passed away at the age of 56. Recently, the group’s Grand Master Dee confirmed the same to Variety. However, nobody reportedly revealed the cause of his sudden demise. So, here is everything you need to know about what happened to John Fletcher:

What happened to John Fletcher of Whodini?

How did John Fletcher die?

The first one to break the news about John Fletcher's death was Roots drummer Questlove. He took to social media and paid tribute to the late rapper through his official Twitter handle on December 23, 2020, Wednesday.

Questlove wrote, “One love to Ecstasy of the legendary #Whodini. This man was legendary and a pivotal member of one of the most legendary groups in hip hop. This is sad man.” Later on, Q-Tip tweeted, “RIP to Ecstasy from Whodini. One of the most underappreciated voices in hip-hop. Too many hits! Condolences to his fam.”

New York-based Whodini, one of the first rap groups, is famous for their Eighties hip-hop numbers such as Friends, Freaks Come Out at Night, and The Haunted House of the Rock. Remembering John Fletcher, veteran writer Nelson George penned on Twitter, “Another blow in a bad year. John Fletcher aka Ex of #Whodini has just passed. The trio, along with producer Larry Smith, made the first hip-hop records that black radio embraced. Personality, humour, and hooks”.

Meanwhile, MC Chuck D tweeted, “(In) 1987 I entered the Def Jam tour. I tended to be nervous, looking at 15,000 fans in front of me every night. There were two MCS that directly mentored my calm that summer. One was Doug E. Fresh and the other was Ecstacy of Whodini. Always there to reassure with advice and tips. #RestInBeats”

 

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How Whodini members garnered fame?

John Fletcher created Whodini with singer Jalil Hutchins in New York, 1982, before signing with the Jive Records. The group’s breakthrough came with Escape, which was a production of Kurtis Blow associate Larry Smith. It consisted of Freaks Come Out at Night and Friends, the latter of which is one of the most sampled songs in the hip-hop genre.

However, as time passed, their popularity faded, leading to their last album in 1996, Six, production by Jermaine Dupri. Whodini remained a part of everyone’s memory and received numerous accolades including VH1’s Hip Hop Honors (2007) and the Black Music Honors, 2018 for the Hip Hop Icon Award.

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