Canadian battle rapper Pat Stay was fatally stabbed just past midnight on Sunday in the province of Nova Scotia, the Halifax Police Department said in a news release.
Police said Stay, 36, was stabbed around 12:35 a.m. in downtown Halifax. He was transported to the hospital, where he later died.
The Nova Scotia Medical Examiner Service ruled his death a homicide. Police are continuing to investigate the incident.
Stay, from Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, was known for his skill in rap battles, in which rappers use rhyme and wordplay to competitively diss and outperform the other. Stay was hailed for his freestyle rap form.
The music world mourned his death following the news. Rapper and musician Eminem tweeted Sunday night that “hiphop lost one of the best battlers of all time … RIP @patstay .. KINGS NEVER DIE!!”
Stay had recently defended Eminem from rival hip-hop artist The Game, who released a diss song “The Black Slim Shady” attacking him. Stay dropped a song on his prolific YouTube channel that dissed The Game in return.
Other rappers expressed their condolences for the Canadian battle rapper. Drake made a post about the freestyle rapper on Instagram, and both Immortal Technique and Royce Da 5’9″ paid their respects on Twitter.
A fundraiser for Stay has reached more than $100,000 on GoFundMe, hitting the target goal for the musician’s loved ones.
The news came on the same day as a series of stabbings in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, although the provinces are on opposite sides of the country.