Atlanta Rapper Shawty Lo Dies In Car Crash

ATLANTA - Atlanta rapper Carlos Walker, who went by the stage name Shawty Lo, died early on Wednesday in a fiery car crash while returning from a nightclub near his hometown, police said. He was 40.

Walker, a founding member of the Southern rap group D4L and founder of D4L Records, was best known for his single, “Dey Know.”

A message posted on Shawty Lo’s Twitter account, apparently written by the rapper’s manager and brother, noted the death. “My brother has passed, he is no longer here but his spirit, his kind heart and his music will live on,” it said.

Tributes poured in from fans and fellow rappers.

“Prayers to his family and friends. ATown Legend,” wrote American disc jockey DJ Drama.

“Legends never die ... Shawty Lo Forever,” hip-hop recording artist Future wrote.

Walker was driving a white Audi on an interstate highway in South Fulton County near Atlanta at about 2:20 a.m. when the vehicle crashed through a guard rail, hit several trees and caught fire, Fulton County Police spokeswoman Maureen Smith said.

Two women passengers in the vehicle were injured and taken to a nearby hospital, Smith said. The group had recently left a nightclub, she said.

The cause of the collision was under investigation.

(Writing by Laila Kearney; Editing by James Dalgleish and Andrew Hay)