The stepfather of Rae Sremmurd — the hip hop duo of brothers Swae Lee and Slim Jxmmi — was shot to death in Tupelo, Mississippi on Monday. Floyd Sullivan was 62.
"Both Slim and Swae Lee are deeply saddened by the death of their step father but are thankful for the love and support from him throughout the years of their upbringing," read a statement from Rae Sremmurd's publicist Juel Stanley.
"Though his untimely death has come at such a surprise, we ask that the public just keep the family in great prayer and respect their privacy at this time."
Michael Sullivan, the 19-year-old half-brother of Rae Sremmurd, was arrested for murder.
The elder Sullivan raised Swae Lee (Khalif Brown) and Slim Jxmmi (Aaquil Brown) with their mom Bernadette Walker, in the Ida Street housing projects of Tupelo, from the time they were preteens.
In a 2016 interview with Fader, Swae Lee and Jxmmi said they thought of Sullivan as their dad and said he sold drugs to support them. “He was doing whatever he had to do,” said Swae. "Keeping us in school, getting us to school.”
On Tuesday, Swae Lee tweeted four broken heart emojis followed by “I pray this world let’s (sic) me keep some compassion” and then “I’ve been tested my whole life.”