(CelebrityAccess) — Louie Rankin, the Grammy-winning reggae artist who later became an actor best known for his role in the 1998 movie “Belly,” died in an automobile accident on Sept. 30th. He was 55.
“It saddens us to have to announce that The “ORIGINAL DON DADA” “Trail Blazer” the legend – Louie Ox Rankin passed away this morning! May God keep his soul with his father, sister and (niece) in #heaven,” a tweet on Rankin’s social media said.
According to TMZ, Rankin died in Ontario when his vehicle crashed with a tractor-trailer. Additional details about the crash are still under investigation.
A native of Jamaica, Rankin, also known as Leonard Ford, began recording in the 1980s, releasing homophobic music such as his 1988 track “Boy George” in which he suggested that the singer Boy George’s appearance marked him as gay and would have gotten him killed in Jamaica.
In 1991, he released “Typewriter” his first major hit which contributed to his nickname as the ‘Original Don Dada’
He later went on to a film career, portraying Ox in the poorly-reviewed 1998 crime drama “Belly” alongside Nas, Method Man, and DMX, and Teddy Bruck Shut in the low-budget “Shottas” alongside Wyclef Jean
Rankin is survived by his wife and seven children, according to Tallawah Magazine.
