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What a tragedy.
By Bernadette Giacomazzo — Written on Mar 02, 2020
Losing a child is difficult, if not impossible, to get through. But losing a grandchild — especially at such a young age — is even more heartbreaking. That's exactly what happened to legendary rapper Snoop Dogg, whose grandson, Kai Love, died in September 2019 at just 10 days old.
How did Snoop Dogg's grandson Kai Love die?
Snoop Dogg is a legend in both hip-hop and popular music. When we first heard his voice back in the early 1990s, he was serving as little more than a backdrop for Dr. Dre's raspy flow on "Deep Cover," a song set for the film of the same name. But it wasn't until he began spitting 16 on The Chronic that Snoop Dogg really became fully entrenched into our pop-culture consciousness.
It's a bit surprising, then, that he's now at an age where he has grandchildren — and it's perhaps a little difficult to reconcile the words "Snoop Dogg" and "grandfather" in our minds — but by all accounts, he seems to be a caring father, and an equally caring grandfather.
That's why this tragedy is even more heartbreaking.
So, let's look at what we know about the death of Snoop Dogg's grandson, Kai Love.
1. He was only 10 days old when he passed.
Little Kai Love was only 10 days old when he tragically passed away. Kai was still in the hospital when he passed away.
2. Though Snoop Dogg's grandson passed away, "his spirit lives on."
"My Son Kai brought so much love and positivity into this world. His energy will live on and these 10 days of love will always be special to us. Let’s all cherish life and those we love while we are here," Corde Broadus captioned his post alongside a video of Kai Love's sister, 13-month-old Elleven Love, giving the baby a kiss, Corde Broadus, Snoop's son and the father of little Kai Love, said in an Instagram post (that's now been deleted).
What's more, Broadus said that he wants to focus on the lessons Kai's short life taught him.
3. Kai Love died in his father's arms.
Kai Love died in Corde Broadus' arms, which brought Dogg's son comfort. Broadus said that his son was "surrounded by love" when he died.
As a sidebar, there are few things that could be more heartbreaking than to have your own child die in your arms, and somehow, Broadus managed to remain calm and find the good in the situation, so kudos to him.
4. Snoop Dogg made reference to Kai Love's death, but didn't immediately issue an official statement.
While the rapper alluded to Kai Love's death in an Instagram post in September 2019 (in which he encouraged his followers to "trust God" when things happened that didn't make sense), he didn't make an official statement about it.
And, really, he should have been allowed to mourn his grandson in peace without worrying about making an immediate statement to the press.
5. But Snoop Dogg's wife, Shante, made a statement about Kai Love's death.
The rapper's wife, Shante Broadus, announced the death of their grandson Kai on Instagram, sharing a video of herself singing a version of the R&B song, "The Love We Had Stays on My Mind" by The Dells. "To My Fifth G Baby," she wrote. "Kai Love 9-15-19/9-25-19."
6. Kai's dad also made a statement.
"My son did all he needed to do in his 10 days here on earth. He has now graduated and continuing to do work. He died in my arms and that feeling of energy will never leave me. Kai wants all of you to kno he’s doing great and wants to continue to inspire those who light is dim. It makes perfect sense to me why 2 spiritual loving and healing people like me and Soraya was given an angel like Kai and now we will use his energy to raise 11 to the best person she can be for ALL of us.
Life is beautiful y’all and I want y’all to kno Soraya is at peace and is moving forward with huge smiles and A little baby running around thinking she grown. Jus want to use my spotlight for happiness and growth and not anything less than. Thank you! Now let’s get back to our soul purpose - Kai Love," Broadus said on Instagram.
7. How did Snoop Dogg's grandson Kai Love die? A cause of death for Snoop Dogg's grandson has not yet been released.
Whether it be because the family is still in mourning, or it be because they just want their privacy respected, a cause of death for Snoop Dogg's grandson has not yet been released.
8. Snoop Dogg has finally spoken out on his grandson's death.
In February 2020, the rapper was interviewed on Jada Pinkett Smith's Red Table Talk where he opened up about the loss.
He revealed, “I got to be strong in front of everybody. Remember that part. You got to turn it on. It’s time to be Snoop again. But, what about when I want to cry? What about when I’m hurt and I’m feeling bad and I feel disgusted and I want to be angry and I want to just blurt out?”
After, his son posted the message, “God wanted his angel up there [heaven] rather than down here,” and the rapper said that his family could finally heal from the loss.
Bernadette Giacomazzo is an editor, writer, and photographer whose work has appeared in People, Teen Vogue, Us Weekly, The Source, XXL, HipHopDX, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Post, and more. For more information about Bernadette Giacomazzo, click here.