Michael ‘5000’ Watts suffers from rare disorder, dies at 52

Michael Watts saddened the world with his passing at 52, on 30th January 2026 after losing the battle to a rare heart disorder.

The Houston rapper’s death was confirmed by his record label Swishahouse and its co-founder OG-Ron called the now-deceased Before da Kappa 2K1 creator a founder visionary and “cultural architect” of the label.

They went on to state that it was with “profound sadness” that they announced his death, which also earned detains from a statement issued by his family.

Watts’ family disclosed that the cause was Torsades de Pointes, a rare and deadly heart rhythm disorder which resulted in cardiac arrest, and revealed that he spent his final week hospitalised at the Memorial Hermann Hospital in the company of loved ones.

The chopped and screwed icon’s family had been updating fans on his health days before his passing, asking them to pray for him as he battles his tremendous health issues via social media.

“We truly appreciate the love shown to Michael throughout his career and we ask for continued prayers as we navigate through this very hard journey,” the family wrote in a statement announcing the death on Instagram.

Notably, Watts contributions to hip-hop cement his legacy as a music icon, especially his remix style which soon became synonymous with Houston culture. 

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