A Punjabi rapper with ties to Toronto has been killed in India, according to multiple reports.
Local media reports that Sidhu Moose Wala was shot to death in the state of Punjab on Sunday.
No suspect information has been confirmed.
The 28-year-old attended Humber College as an international student and recorded many of his music videos in Toronto.
The singer ran for congress in Punjab earlier this year but was defeated.
His killing comes a day after his security detail was withdrawn from police after the government voted to remove security cover for Punjab politicians to crack down on VIP culture, according to reports.
Community activist and Punjabi voice for the Toronto Raptors Parminder Singh said Sidhu’s death is a tragic loss for the Punjab community.
“It’s truly shocking and I feel the entire community has that feeling and we all have that sense of shock when we heard about this news early this morning,” he told CP24.
Drake paid tribute to Sidhu, posting to his Instagram story a photo of the singer with a caption "RIP MOOSE".
Canadian comedian Lilly Singh also remembered Sidhu in an Instagram post, calling him a "young legend."
"If you see tribute images of him today, please don't keep scrolling, but rather take a moment to stream the music of Sidhu Moosewala. It has often been featured in my content and has always resulted in people asking me, 'what song is that?!'" Singh wrote.
"Through his revolutionary music, he will live on. Beyond the care he had for his community, he created the soundtrack that made many of us feel seen, a perfect blend of hip hop, rap and folk music."
Sidhu was scheduled to perform in Mississauga at the end of July.
