10 Tragic Hip-Hop Deaths: Proof

Just like his close friend Eminem, D12 member Proof had a natural ability to freestyle, delivering witty and snarky lines off the top of his head. Unfortunately, the MC, who was married and a father to five children at the time of his death, wouldn't get the chance to take his rap career to new heights after being killed in 2006.

During a game of pool at the CCC Club on Detroit's 8 Mile Road -- from which the popular hip-hop film '8 Mile' gets its name -- Proof was shot twice in the head and chest after engaging in a physical altercation with a man named Keith Bender. The 'Searching for Jerry Garcia' creator shot Bender first. This prompted the latter's cousin, Mario Etheridge, to retaliate and fire bullets at Proof. The rhymer, whose blood alcohol content was four times the legal DUI limit, died instantly.