DAMN! HIP HOP LEGEND GURU FROM GANG STARR PASSES AWAY AFTER A LONG BATTLE WITH CANCER!

Pioneering Gang Starr rapper, Guru, who pushed hip-hop to new boundaries by blending thumping beats with jazz rhythms, has died. He was 43.

The rap star, whose real name is Keith Elam, died after a long battle with cancer, his longtime professional partner DJ Premier said.

Guru's death came two months after he suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized in New York. He reportedly fell into a coma after undergoing surgery.

Guru rocketed to stardom in the late 1980s when he partnered with DJ Premier to create the group Gang Starr.

The partnership helped define East Coast rap, with its complex, socially-conscious lyrics and jazz-heavy samples.

In the 1990s, Guru received further acclaim for his solo albums dubbed "Jazzmattaz," which featured collaborations with such jazz sensations as Branford Marsalis and Donald Byrd.

On his Web site, DJ Premier published a letter purportedly written by Guru, which stands for Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal.

"I write this with tears in my eyes, not of sorrow but of joy for what a wonderful life I have enjoyed and how many great people I have had the pleasure of meeting," the letter reads.