Lil Durk has broken his silence on the tragic death of his labelmate and frequent collaborator King Von.
The “Laugh Now, Cry Later” hitmaker took to Instagram to react to the news of his friend’s untimely passing. “MY TWIN GONE. I LOVE YOU BABY BRO – D ROY!!!!!” he wrote alongside a photo of the late rapper.
Shortly after Von started rapping, Lil Durk took him under his wing, signed him to his Only the Family label and helped to mold him as an artist. Von’s hit single “Crazy Story” appeared on Durk’s Only the Family Involved Vol. 2 label compilation. The two also collaborated on “Crazy Story 2.0” and other songs off Von’s recently released debut album, Welcome to O’ Block.
King Von was one of three people killed outside of an Atlanta nightclub on Friday morning (Nov. 6). The shooting — which involved police officers — reportedly left the Chicago emcee in critical condition before he eventually succumbed to his injuries.
Per HipHopDX, Durk learned of Von’s death as followers on Instagram Live informed him of the reports. His Instagram tribute is the first time he’s spoken out on his friend’s fatal shooting.
Earlier in the day, Von’s close friend Asian Doll reacted to the news, tweeting, “I wanna die 2. Shid, it feels like I died already.”
ChopSquad DJ — who produced beats for Von — shared a touching tribute, recalling their many conversations together.
“RIP my best friend,” he wrote. “The only nigga to listen to me word for word from day 1. We sat on FaceTime for hours making songs together. Every bar had a meaning, and every song was a part of our soul. Every moment meant somethin[g], and to grow wit you made me feel like I was a real producer. I love you bro.”