found online by Raymond
From The Intersection of Madness and Reality:
Phife Dawg (Malik Taylor, the 5 Foot Freak) died on March 22, 2016. And yes, I am extremely saddened. A group that became a musical soundtrack for my youth lost one of its members. The impending trending topic and social media responses ensued. In fact, I saw so many different types of people worldwide give the exact same account: Phife Dawg helped them get through it.