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Craig Mack suffered from health complications when he passed away six years ago. He reportedly told his family and friends that his heart was failing, but in reality, it was another fatal disease that claimed his life.
According to a report Rolling Stone published on Friday, August 16, Mack's death certificate says that he passed away following a battle with HIV/AIDS. His first wife, Roxanne Alexis Hill-Johnson, his daughter Amanda Mack, and his younger brother Andrew Mack opened up about the "Flava In Ya Ear" rapper's life from his peak at Bad Boy Records to his final days on his deathbed.
“I’ve truly, honestly never seen a human being in that condition before,” Andrew Mack said. “He was catatonic.”
“I believe he was very much in denial, but that’s him living his truth to the end,” he continued. “I know that sounds really crazy, but you have to know him to understand that. As much as that bothers me, I understand why he did what he did. He lived his truth.”
Andrew Mack and Hill-Johnson think the New York native learned of his diagnosis before he left his hometown in 2007. He took his two children and traveled to South Carolina where he joined the Overcomer Ministry. By 2014, Mack had already shown signs of his failing health after he lost a drastic amount of weight and was frequently sick. He originally told people he had congestive heart failure. He was hospitalized once and took medication, but he didn't seek out any further medical treatment.
By 2018, Mack walked with a cane until he became bedridden. His family drove down from Vermont to spend a few days with Mack and say their goodbyes. He passed away at 47 right before they got back home. There are still a lot of questions Mack's family has about his life. Hill-Johnson hopes to answer some of them in a documentary she's developing with Alvin Toney, who recorded Mack's final interview before his death.
Read the entire Rolling Stone story here.