by Krystal Franklin

July 5, 2017

Photo by Chelsea Lauren/WireImage

John Blackwell Jr., Prince‘s long-time drummer, died this week at the age of 43.

TMZ reports that the cause of death is unknown but the drummer likely died of a brain tumor, which he’d been suffering from since 2016. John’s wife Yaritza setup a GoFundMe page last July and to help cover the medical expenses. So far the page has raised $78,000. Yaritza shared the news of her husband’s passing on his social media pages.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by John Blackwell Jr. (@johnblackwelljr_yaritza)

Justin Timberlake also shared his thoughts on Twitter. Blackwell toured with the singer on his FutureSex/LoveSounds album.

RIP, John Blackwell. You are a kind, gentle soul and one special talent. You will be missed by myself and so many. God bless you, bro.

— Justin Timberlake (@jtimberlake) July 5, 2017

Take a look at John in action on The Tonight Show With Jay Leno in 2002.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the family.

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Celebs We've Lost in 2017

17 photos Launch gallery

Celebs We've Lost in 2017

1. Daughter of Eric Garner, Erica Garner

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2. Earle Hyman

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3. Della Reese

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4. Mychael Knight

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5. Keith Wilder

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6. Robert Guillaume

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7. Nelsan Ellis

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8. Hugh Hefner

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9. Ji-Tu Cumbaka

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10. John Blackwell Jr.

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11. Prodigy

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12. Christopher "Big Black" Boykin

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13. Chuck Berry

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14. Cuba Gooding Sr.

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15. Charlie Murphy

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16. Judge Sheila Abdus-Salaam

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17. Dick Gregory

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Celebs We've Lost in 2017

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