Old Dirty, Decaying, Lifeless Bastard

When Goomba-Goom saw the headline, Ol' Dirty Bastard dead in the Herald, he figured the Fairfax crew had just finally come to terms with the loss of their beloved Yasser Arafat.

Not for the first time, Goomba Goom was wrong:

Rapper Ol' Dirty Bastard, whose criminal lifestyle and strange behaviour overshadowed his work as one of the founding members of rap collective Wu-Tang Clan, has collapsed and died in New York, his record label said.

The artist, whose real name was Russell Jones, was found on Saturday in a recording studio complaining of chest pains, a source told Reuters.

Paramedics were called but were unable to save him.

A spokeswoman said the cause of death was unknown.

Amazingly, it wasn't in a drive-by. Meanwhile, we learn that

In the hip-hop genre, where many performers attract the attention of the law and most spare no expense flaunting their extravagant lifestyles, Jones was in a class of his own.

Jones, who was in his mid 30s, fathered 13 children, according to Blender magazine.

His other stage names included Dirt McGirt and Big Baby Jesus, the latter moniker inspired by his belief that "I always been Jesus".

Hey, at least he didn't say he was bigger than Jesus.