MF Doom’s death in 2020 shocked many in the hip-hop community, especially since the cause was unknown. Nearly three years after his passing, Doom’s wife, Jasmine Dumile, recently revealed what killed her husband.
Dumile stated that Doom, whose real name was Daniel Dumile, had been hospitalized at St. James Hospital in Leeds, England, while suffering from high blood pressure and kidney disease at the time of his death, according to Billboard. She stated that although Doom was in good shape before being hospitalized, these ailments also led to his anxiety and weight gain.
In the weeks leading up to Doom’s passing in October 2020, Dumile said that his condition “suddenly deteriorated” following his hospital admission. Dumile couldn’t visit Doom due to the COVID-19 restrictions at the time.
Dumile said during an inquest hearing that Doom, who was 49, received a prescription for ACE inhibitors for his high blood pressure. However, his throat and tongue swelled up after just two doses, and he was taken to the emergency room. She stated that he called her in distress as his condition worsened, leading her to directly call the on-duty nurses.
Dumile said that on Oct. 21, 2020, Doom went into respiratory arrest after attempting to leave his hospital bed. She stated the rapper tried to get up after complaining that he couldn’t breathe. Dumile didn’t see Doom until Oct. 31, the day he died. “That’s when the respirator was turned off that was helping him breathe,” she said.
Doctors said that the ACE inhibitors given to Doom triggered a “rare” side effect called angioedema, which is akin to having hives swell under the skin.
Although Doom passed away on Oct. 31, 2020, Dumile didn’t disclose his death publicly until that December via an Instagram post. In the post, Dumile addressed Doom, writing: “Thank you for showing how not to be afraid to love and be the best person I could ever be. My world will never be the same without you.”
Doom gained a reputation as one of hip-hop’s most creative MCs and enigmatic characters since the early 1990s as Zev Love X, a member of the rap trio K.M.D. After earning a pair of hits on the rap charts, K.M.D. dissolved when Zev Love’s brother and groupmate, DJ Subroc, died. In 1997, Doom reemerged with a new image as MF Doom, a villainous persona who always wore a metal mask.
After his reinvention, Doom released some of the most beloved hip-hop albums of the 21st century, including a pair of 2004 releases, “Mm…Food” and “Madvillainy,” a collaboration with producer Madlib.
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