American rapper Magoo no more

LOS ANGELES: American rapper Melvin Barcliff, who went by the name Magoo and part of the duo Timbaland & Magoo is no more. Timbaland confirmed the news of Magoo's demise on Instagram. He was 50.

"This one hits different long live Melvin aka magoo !!! Tim and Magoo forever rest easy my king,” the rapper-producer wrote. No further details or cause of death were provided.

Magoo was part of a collective of Virginia rappers and producers that rose to prominence in the mid to late 1990s, a group that included Timbaland, Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo and Shay Haley of the Neptunes and N.E.R.D., the rap group Clipse and producer Danja. Magoo found mainstream success working with longtime friend Timbaland to form the duo Timbaland & Magoo, The Hollywood Reporter reported.

The pair’s debut album Welcome to Our World would go platinum and become a classic, ushering in a period of chart dominance for Timbaland’s signature sound. Magoo’s long-time friend and collaborator Missy Elliott paid heartfelt condolences via a tweet. "This kind of post I don’t wish on any1.. at 1st I was in shock & now reality has kicked in I asked you to rap on Beep Me 911 & I played your verse over & over because I always loved your VA style posting this is so heartbreaking I am so lost for words… #RIPMAGOO," Missy Elliott tweeted. After stepping away from being a performer, Magoo worked behind the scenes in the music industry.