Chris Kelly Funeral Plans Revealed For Kris Kross Rapper

The plans for Chris Kelly’s funeral were confirmed on Saturday by the Murray Brothers Funeral Home in Atlanta, GA. Fans of the former Kris Kross rapper will have the opportunity to pay their respects at a public viewing on Wednesday afternoon and evening. He was a lifelong Atlanta native.

The Chris Kelly funeral itself will be held Thursday at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church.

That viewing will come one week after the 34-year-old Kelly died of a suspected overdose on Wednesday, May 1.

When he was discovered unconscious in his home, he was rushed to Atlanta Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead at around 5 PM. His mother has said that the former Kris Kross teen rapper was using cocaine and heroin the night before he died.

He has reportedly struggled with addiction for years, and some people close to him have speculated that Kelly was under stress because of a possible planned comeback. The duo briefly reunited earlier this year to perform for the 20th anniversary of So So Def records.

Kelly, also known as “Mac Daddy,” and Chris Smith, “Daddy Mac,” were discovered in an Atlanta mall in the early 1990s by music producer and then 18-years-old Jermaine Dupri. Kelly and Smith themselves were only 14.

Dupri produced the smash hit 1992 album for the duo, Totally Krossed Out, which included by far their biggest hit song, “Jump.”

That song was a breakout hit not just for Kris Kross and Chris Kelly but also for rap itself. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks, the first rap song ever to achieve that long a run at the top of the charts.

At their height of their fame, they even toured with Michael Jackson on his 1992 Dangerous World Tour.

However, like many child stars, they were largely forgotten as they got older.

Dupri has gone on to become the legendary So So Def producer. He wrote an open letter to fans:

“To the world chris was MacDaddy but to me, he was a son I never had, as much as you may think I taught him, he taught me, god has blessed me to be in the presence of so many naturally talented people, and chris was one.”

Despite the young rapper’s demons, Dupri clearly regrets the necessity for Chris Kelly’s funeral.