On December 31st 2020, the family of MF Doom announced that the musician had passed away earlier that year, on October 31st. The rapper, whose given name was Daniel Dumile, was 49.
On his Instagram account, Dumile’s wife, Jasmine Dumile, confirmed his death on its two-month anniversary. “To Dumile, The greatest husband, father, teacher, student, business partner, lover and friend I could ever ask for. Thank you for all the things you have shown, taught and given to me, our children and our family.”
“Thank you for teaching me how to forgive beings and give another chance, not to be so quick to judge and write off. Thank you for showing how not to be afraid to love and be the best person I could ever be,” the post continued “My world will never be the same without you. Words will never express what you and Malachi mean to me, I love both and adore you always. May THE ALL continue to bless you, our family and the planet.”
Jasmine’s tribute references the couple’s son, Malachi, who died in 2017 at the age of 14. The family had lived in the U.K. since 2012. Dumile was born in London, but moved to the U.S. at an early age, and was raised primarily in Long Island, New York. After the rapper’s 2010 European tour, Dumile was refused re-entry into the U.S. due to the country’s immigration laws, and the rapper had been under the impression that he had been a naturalized citizen. After two years of separation, Dumile’s family were able to move to the musician’s new residence.
At the time of the announcement, MF Doom’s cause of death was not confirmed. Recently, details of his cause of death have been reported, after the Leeds hospital Dumile had died in apologized to his family for preventable errors that eventually caused his passing.
How did MF Doom die?
MF Doom’s official cause of death was angioedema, a rare, but extreme reaction to Ramipril, a blood pressure medication that Dumile had been taking. Dumile suffered from various health issues, including high blood pressure, hypertensive heart disease, and kidney disease prior to his death. Dumile was treated with kidney dialysis earlier that year, and was hospitalized in October 2020 due to severe respiratory problems, including oral swelling and breathing difficulties.
During his stay at St James’s University Hospital in Leeds, Dumile’s condition had worsened and required a ventilator. Dumile’s family were prevented from visiting him due to the COVID-19 pandemic, until the day of his death. The swelling from angioedema increased, causing “respiratory collapse” that led to his passing.
In 2023, an inquest into Dumile’s death was held, and had ruled that while the allergic reaction the rapper had experienced was a “rare event”, there had been several missed opportunities during his care. Mishandlings by the hospital included that “there was no request for specialist input from immunology, and the potential for an alternative medication regime, there was no clear plan for ongoing monitoring requirements, and he was not admitted to intensive care”.
The inquest concluded from its investigation that initial reports of swelling for Dumile was “the first report of a deterioration since admission”, and “This should have prompted a request for reassessment by a specialist in airway compromise who would likely have attended promptly and noted a decline in Mr. Thompson’s condition.”
While the inquest ruled that evidence could not conclude if the outcome could’ve been entirely avoided, St James’s University Hospital issued an apology over Dumile’s death. Dr Hamish McLure, chief medical officer at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, stated that “I would like to offer our sincere condolences to Daniel’s family, friends and fans at this difficult time,” on behalf of the hospital. “I apologise that the care he received was not to the standard we would expect.”
“Following his sad death we undertook a serious incident investigation and the report has been shared with Daniel’s family. As a result, we have put in place a number of actions and the wider learning from what happened is to be used as a teaching topic in a number of different clinical specialities. We also support the coroner’s recommendation for clearer national guidance and awareness in this area.”