Wu Tang Clan Co-Founder O.D.B. Dead at 35
Rapper O.D.B., Founding Member of Wu-Tang Clan, Collapses and Dies in N.Y. Recording Studio at 35
Rap musician O.D.B., Ol' Dirty Bastard, whose legal name is Russell Jones, appears at a news conference in this May 1, 2003 file photo, in New York. The rap artist O.D.B. collapsed and died inside a recording studio Saturday, Nov. 13, 2004 his record label said. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin ll)
NEW YORK Nov 14, 2004 — The rapper O.D.B., a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan whose erratic behavior and incessant legal troubles made him a figure as wild as his lyrics, collapsed and died inside a recording studio at age 35.
The cause of death was not immediately clear, but O.D.B. had recently finished a prison sentence for drug possession and escaping a rehab clinic. He had complained of chest pains before collapsing Saturday, and was dead by the time paramedics arrived, said Gabe Tesoriero, a spokesman for O.D.B.'s record label, Roc-a-Fella.
