THREE 6 MAFIA'S RICKY "LORD INFAMOUS" DUNIGAN FOUND DEAD AT 40

LORD INFAMOUS

Three 6 Mafia's Ricky "Lord Infamous" Dunigan was found dead in his mother's Memphis, Tenn., home on Friday (Dec. 20). He was 40 years old.

The news of his death was quickly confirmed with tweets from members of Three 6 Mafia, as well as Hypnotize Minds.

The Hollywood Reporter has further confirmed that the cause of death was a heart attack. "He said he was tired," his half-brother, Three 6 Mafia member DJ Paul said. "He wanted to sleep. He sat down at the kitchen table, put his head in his arms to lay down ... to get some sleep."

Dunigan founded Three 6 Mafia in 1991. In 2006, they were the first rap group to win an Oscar for Best Original Song with "It's Hard Out Here For A Pimp."

"He was a legend in the game, truly ahead of his time," DJ Paul said to Rolling Stone. "He was such a great lyricist and he always came with these different styles in his rap and his flow."