Guru, the Boston-born MC, real name Keith Elam, was hospitalized in January 2010 after he suffered a heart attack. On February 28, 2010, while family and fans across the globe were praying for his recovery, Guru went into cardiac arrest and, following surgery, and fell into a coma. It was claimed that Guru had briefly awakened from his coma but passed away on April 19, 2010 at the age of 48. It was later found that he passed away from a form of cancer, myeloma.
Guru rose to fame in the 80s as one half of Gang Starr, the conscious rap group he founded with Grammy award-winning producer DJ Premier. Gang Starr was also credited with the birth of the Hip-Hop/Jazz genre. About.com placed him on their list of the Top 50 MCs of Our Time, while The Source ranked him #30 on their list of the Top 50 Lyricists of All Time, saying "Guru dropped some of the most thoughtful rhymes on wax."
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A statement issued by his friend and producer Solar said: "Guru has passed away after a long battle with cancer."
"Guru suffered from the malicious illness for over a year and after numerous special treatments under the supervision of medical specialists failed, the legendary MC succumbed to the disease."
Multiple myeloma, also known as plasma cell myeloma, is a cancer of plasma cells, a type of white blood cell normally responsible for producing antibodies. Often, no symptoms are noticed initially. When advanced, bone pain, bleeding, frequent infections, and anemia may occur.
The cause is unknown. Risk factors include drinking alcohol, obesity, radiation exposure, family history, and certain chemicals.The underlying mechanism involves abnormal plasma cells producing abnormal antibodies which can cause kidney problems and overly thick blood. The plasma cells can also form a mass in the bone marrow or soft tissue. When only one mass is present, it is known as a plasmacytoma while more than one is known as multiple myeloma. Multiple myeloma is diagnosed based on blood or urine tests finding abnormal antibodies, bone marrow biopsy finding cancerous plasma cells, and medical imaging finding bone lesions. Another common finding is high blood calcium levels.
Multiple myeloma is considered treatable, but generally incurable. Remissions may be brought about with steroids, chemotherapy, thalidomide or lenalidomide, and stem cell transplant. Bisphosphonates and radiation therapy are sometimes used to reduce pain from bone lesions.
How is Multiple Myeloma Different in Blacks?
In the U.S., African Americans are about 14% of the country's population, but they constitute about 20% of all myeloma patients. And that incidence is actually growing. This is an enormous burden, considering 1 in every 5 patients diagnosed with multiple myeloma in the U.S. is African American.
African Americans with myeloma face these disparities in care as well:
- fewer transplants
- more blood product transfusions
- fewer palliative care consultations
- less inpatient chemotherapy
- more use of intensive care
African Americans may face delayed diagnosis from the time of onset of myeloma symptoms.
Furthermore, IMF Chief Medical Officer Joseph Mikhael, MD, sheds light on disparities in multiple myeloma care for African Americans in his presentation at the M-Power Project New York City Webinar10.
In this webinar, Dr. Mikhael said that the average myeloma patient sees their primary doctor three times with symptoms and signs consistent with multiple myeloma. Yet, he pointed out, that the delay from symptom onset to diagnosis is even longer in African Americans, for many reasons including the following:
- Confounding disease (like diabetes)
- Access to adequate diagnostics and care
- Awareness in primary care providers
- Timely referral to specialists
One in 10 patients who come to the hospital with the most severe type of heart attack have a history of cancer. Just like in Guru's case. Although they are separate conditions, they do often interact with each other.
How Gang Starr's Legacy Still Lives On...
Gang Starr released six highly regarded albums in their time together until 2003 until their acrimonious split.
After his successful run with Premier, which included classic songs such as Jazz Thing which featured in Spike Lee film Mo' Better Blues, Guru founded 7Grand Records with producer Solar.
Following the split Guru released a series of Jazzmatazz albums where he teamed up with classic jazz, soul and hip hop artists.
His Best of Jazzmatazz album included collaborations with hip-hop band The Roots, Brand New Heavies singer N’Dea Davenport, Chaka Khan, Branford Marsalis, Donald Byrd, Kelis, Ramsey Lewis, Erykah Badu, Lonnie Liston Smith, and Jamiroquai.
He continued to tour the world with a band and producer Solar.
The rapper is survived by a son, KC.
