Rapper best known for 1992 hit Jump was found by his cousin at his Atlanta home
Police said Kelly's death appears to have been 'a drug overdose'
Rapper and long time collaborator Jermaine Dupri led the tributes on Twitter
Chris Kelly, of the 90s hip-hop group Kriss Kross, has died aged 34, of a suspected drug overdose.
Police were called to Kelly's home by the rapper's cousin at around 4.30pm on Wednesday. After which he was taken to Atlanta Medical Centre.
Kelly - half of the rap duo famous for the hit song Jump - was pronounced dead at 5pm.
Tragedy: Chris Kelly, half of the 1990s kid rap duo Kris Kross who made one of the decade's most memorable songs Jump, died Wednesday of a suspected drug overdose
The MacDaddy: Jermaine Dupri wrote an emotional letter to his fans about his relationship with Chris
Flashback: Kelly (C in yellow shoes) and Smith performed onstage at the Fox Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia during the So So Def 20th Anniversary Concert in February
As yet there is no official confirmation of the cause of death but Cpl Kay Lester, a spokeswoman for the Fulton County police said: 'It appears it may have been a possible drug overdose.'
An autopsy is due to be held on Thursday.
Kelly, known as Mac Daddy, performed alongside Chris Smith, known as Daddy Mac, in the early and mid-90s.
The duo's hit song Jump, from their 1992 debut album, Totally Krossed Out, helped propel them to stardom and sales of four million copies in the US, topping the Billboard charts for eight weeks.
Tragic day: Chris Kelly, left, seen here with partner Chris Smith, right, was pronounced dead of a suspected overdose on Wednesday afternoon
Teenage superstars: Kelly, left, and partner Chris Smith, right, were propelled to global stardom by their catchy 1992 hit Jump
Kris Kross was also noted for their hip-hop style - and in particular wearing their clothes back to front.
Kelly seen here at So So Def's 20th Anniversary event in February this year
The teen rap duo were discovered at age 13 at an Atlanta mall in 1990 by then 18-year-old rising star Jermaine Dupri, who helped them to record the hit album.
On Thursday Dupri wrote an emotional letter to his fans detailing his close relationship with Chris.
The multi-platinum selling producer described Chris as the son he never had.
In 1992, the talented pair landed a spot on Michael Jackson's Dangerous world tour, as well as a cameo appearance in his popular Jam music video.
Their own music video for Jump shot to number one on MTV and sold over 100,000 copies as a VHS video single.
Their second and third albums also went platinum and gold respectively, but didn't achieve the success of their first album, due in part to the fact that the teenagers had hit puberty and were marketed with a tougher image.
A joint statement released on Wednesday by So So Def and Kelly's mother, Donna Kelly Pratte, paid tribute to the 'kind, generous and fun-loving' star.
'It is with deep sadness that we announce that our beloved Chris Kelly has passed away on May 1.
'To millions of fans worldwide, he was the trend-setting, backward pants-wearing one-half of Kris Kross, who loved making music. But to us, he was just Chris - the kind, generous and fun-loving life of the party.'
Though he was only with us a short time, we feel blessed to have been able to share some incredible moments with him. His legacy will live on through his music.'
Atlanta radio host DJ Greg Street shared the news with listeners after receiving the devastating news from Kelly's cousin.
'Around 7.45 I received a phone call from his cousin saying they had found Kelly at the house just 20 minutes earlier and he was unresponsive,' Street wrote.
'I just received confirmation that he has passed.'
Twitter erupted as condolences flooded in from celebrities and friends.
Rapper and actor LL Cool J dedicated a song to the departed rapper, tweeting 'R.I.P Chris Kelly. This song is now officially dedicated to you. May GOD embrace your soul & lift up your family.
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