Veteran rapper Chris Kantai's family has released an official statement following his death. The family thanked supporters for standing by them during the sad period.

Kantai died on Monday at St Francis Hospital in Kasarani after suffering from acute peptic ulcers. He was 40 years old.

In the statement shared on journalist Wallace Kantai's Twitter page, the family said Chris was a talented musician whose work influenced a generation of musicians and inspired many in Kenya and beyond.

The statement continued,

Most of all to us, he was a son, father, brother, grandfather and friend. We loved him dearly.

The family is in the process of making burial arrangements, which will be shared in time.

'I feel so bad that I didn’t reach out to you', STL mourns KantaiRead the complete statement here:

Kantai was born in Kenya and grew up in the United States of America. His rap style was praised for its easy rhythm and flow that some compared to Warren-G or Kurupt. In a short 2004-2006, Kantai hit a purple patch releasing hit after hit and showed that he would be a force to reckon with. As far as Kenya’s music scene goes, few come close in terms of lyrical prowess and mastery of the hip-hop genre. Some of his hits “Kantadda”, “Lifestyle” and “Issues” set him apart in the crowded hip-hop scene in period 2004-2006 when he returned to Kenya from US. The rapper and STL came up with I’m Happy and it turned out to be a mega-hit.

Other great songs released by the departed maestro are:

• Kantadda
• Jinga Hii
• Mo than Jus Friends
• Heshima
• What Mo
• Haterz

May his soul rest in peace.