De La Soul cofounder Dave Jolicoeur, better known as Trugoy the Dove, has died at the age of 54, a rep for the group has confirmed to Variety. Details were not immediately available, but he has suffered from health issues for several years and in 2018 said Jolicoeur in 2014 — had been battling congestive heart failure.
Born David Jude Jolicoeur, Trugoy formed De La Soul in 1988 alongside his high school friends, rappers Posdnuos and Maseo. The three artists grew up in the Amityville area of Long Island, New York. After catching the attention of local producer Prince Paul, De La Soul issued their debut album 3 Feet High and Rising in 1989.
Sadly, his death comes just weeks before the pioneering hip-hop group’s key catalog will finally become available on streaming services. Their 1989 album, “3 Feet High and Rising,” is universally recognized as one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, but has been held back from streaming services due to longstanding legal battles over sample clearances and other matters. The group in many ways was a guinea pig for laws around sampling, which was a new field at the time of the album’s release, but quickly became one as the owners of the rights to songs sampled on the album sued the group and its label at the time, Tommy Boy Records.
