Rapper Craig Mack dies at 46

Craig Mack, the Long Island rapper who found fame on Diddy’s Bad Boy label, has died at age 46. Mack, who launched to hip-hop acclaim with the bestselling summer hit “Flava in Ya Ear” in 1994, died of heart failure at a hospital near his Walterboro, S.C., home Monday. “God bless my friend. He was a good friend of mine,” said Alvin Toney, who produced Mack’s albums “Project: Funk Da World” and “Get Down Remix.” Toney visited Mack last week to film a documentary about the retired rhymer and his decision to pass on fame for a life of deep religious conviction. “Nobody got to understand his story,” Toney said. “I wanted the world to know the talent he had. It was something I wanted people to enjoy, but it was cut short because he was very religious and wanted to go to church.” Tony said Mack then told him that he had been ill for some time. “He was prepared to do that. He wasn’t scared. He was ready.”