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FILE - Mark "Prince Markie Dee" Morales appears at the premiere of his film "Disorderlies," in New York, on August 14, 1987. Dee, a member of the Fat Boys hip-hop trio who later formed his own band and became a well-known radio host, has died at 52. His death was announced Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021 by the SiriusXM station Rock The Bells, which did not provide a cause of death. (AP Photo/Ed Bailey, File)

Mark Anthony Morales, known as Prince Markie Dee of early rap group the Fat Boys and a hit songwriter and producer for Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey and others, has died, according to his manager, Louie “Uncle Louie” Gregory. He was 52.

While the Fat Boys were often considered a novelty act of early hip-hop, they actually racked up a series of hit albums throughout the 1980s and appeared in the popular films “Krush Groove” and “Disorderlies.” Morales was one of the group’s key rappers, songwriters and producers, and went on to a successful solo career, releasing the album “Free” on Columbia, which included the hit “Typical Reasons (Swing My Way),” and “Love Daddy” on Motown three years later.

Read more in Variety.