Young Dolph death: Megan Thee Stallion leads tributes after Memphis shooting
Fans and fellow artists paid tribute to the fiercely independent rapper
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Rapper Young Dolph has died after being shot while visiting a cookie store in Memphis, according to police.
Memphis police said in a statement: “The preliminary information indicates that the victim is Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr,” but added “this information will be confirmed once the identification process has been completed.”
An eyewitness stated that the musician, who released his debut album, King of Memphis in 2016, was shot as he walked into Makeda’s Homemade Butter Cookies.
According to TMZ, a shot was fired through the window.
The rapper, who has collaborated with the likes of 2 Chainz, Megan Thee Stallion and Gucci Mane, is survived by two children.
Fans, fellow artists and friends have paid tribute to the fiercely independent artist.
The liveblog has now closed
Memphis Police department issue statement
Memphis Police Department have now issued a statement saying the information obtained so far points to Young Dolph being the victim of the shooting earlier today in Memphis.
In a statement, Memphis Police Department chief CJ Davis said: “The preliminary information indicates that the victim is Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr. However, this information will be confirmed once the identification process has been completed.
“This shooting is another example of the senseless gun violence we are experiencing locally and nationwide. Our hearts go out to the Thornton family and all who are affected by this horrific act of violence.”
You can see the statement in full here:
Tributes to Young Dolph pour in on social media
With Memphis Police Department now saying that “the preliminary information indicates that the victim is Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr.”, tributes have started to pour in for Young Dolph from fans and fellow rappers alike.
You can see some of the many tributes to the rapper here, led by Megan Thee Stallion and Chance the Rapper:
Here’s a recap of everything we know so far
Here’s a recap of everything we know so far about the shooting in Memphis today, where Young Dolph is believed to have been shot and killed while visiting a cookie store.
Memphis Police Department issued a statement saying their “preliminary information indicates that the victim is Adolph Robert Thornton, Jr.”, but that “this information will be confirmed once the identification process has been completed.”
A full report of the day’s happenings can be read here: