UGK group member Chad "Pimp C" Butler was found dead in room at the Mondrian Hotel today around 9am PST, after members of the rapper’s family contacted the Sunset Strip property to report the artist missing.

In a statement released by the Mondrian, the hotel received several calls this morning from concerned family members inquiring about Butler’s whereabouts.

"Security personnel went to Mr. Butler’s room and found him in bed, apparently expired," Gerald McKelvy, a spokesman for the hotel told AllHipHop.com.

"A 911 call was placed at about 9:20 AM and paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department responded and pronounced Mr. Butler dead."

The Los Angeles County Sherriff’s office has confirmed that their homicide department is currently investigating the crime scene, which, according to LASD PR Liason Dept. Oscar Butao, is standard procedure whenever a victim is found who did not die of natural causes.

At press time, a cause of death had not been determined. Butler checked into the Mondrian on November 28 and according to those close to him who contacted the hotel, was due to have checked out on Monday (December 4).

His manager Rick Martin was on hand to identify the body of his friend, Pimp C.

"This morning saw the loss of a man that was not only a client, but a very dear friend at a time when he had the most to live for," Martin told AllHipHop.com in a statement. "He was my best friend and I will always love him."

Martin revealed that Pimp C. was in the process of launching a number of new business initiatives, including a solo deal with Jive, a publishing deal, a national cologne endorsement deal and a new satellite radio show.

"Chad had everything to live for, making his unexpected passing a travesty," Martin said. "Right now, my number one concern is the well being and livelihood of his family who are the ones most deeply affected by this loss. All efforts will be made to ensure that they are properly cared for in this tragic time and beyond."

Various rapper expressed shocked at the sudden passing of Pimp C.

"Pimp C had that type of flow and swagger that no other artist has. Hip-Hop and the world in general will miss his presence," said Chicago rapper Twista, who rapped alongside Pimp C. on the remix to "I‘m In Luv Wit A Stripper," with Paul Wall, R. Kelly, MJG and Too Short.

"Pimp C was a great man who inspired a whole generation of people in Texas including us," said Grammy Award winning producers and Texas natives Play-N-Skillz.

He was much bigger than just music, he was the Godfather of everything in Texas.

We send our sincerest condolences to Chad's family."

Jive Records’ President and CEO Barry Weiss called the rapper a "thoughtful and kind-hearted person."

"He will be remembered for his talent and profound influence as a pioneer in bringing southern rap to the forefront," Weiss said. "He will be missed and our prayers remain with his family and Bun B. I've known Chad since he was 18, and we loved him dearly and he was a cherished member of the Jive family."

David Banner revealed his favorite rapper, the late Pimp C of UGK. "He just sweats and bleeds the south," Banner tells Hip Hop Official. "He was one of the motivations for me to represent Mississippi the way that I do." Banner selected Andre 3000 of Outkast as his second favorite, "because he's the most lyrical cat in the game to me ever."

Bun B Talks About the Syrup That Killed Pimp C

Bun B speak openly about lean, the drug that killed his business partner Pimp C, and a drug that he and Pimp C, along with Three 6 Mafia, took to national awareness in the breakthrough hit – "Sippin on Some Syrup".

Career

After signing with Jive Records in the early '90s, his initial success was largely limited to fans of southern hip-hop. However, a prominent guest appearance on Jay-Z's hit single "Big Pimpin'" in 2000 (and later, Three 6 Mafia's "Sippin' on Some Syrup"), gave UGK the national exposure that earned them a wider audience, greater recognition and mainstream success.

Pimp C also worked with Celly Cel, C-Bo, Spice 1 and Devin the Dude on a number of projects. He invested in and endorsed Trill Entertainment in 2001 for its label launch. Pimp C stated that he would be releasing an album alongside rapper Too Short during his appearance on the show Sucker Free on MTV. Rolling Stone named "I'm Free" (Pimpalation) as #80 on its list of 100 best songs of 2006.

On August 15, 2006, Pimp C appeared on BET's "Rap City." He was interviewed and gave his thoughts on multiple topics, including his current album, Pimpalation, and beefs in the music industry. He also stressed that rappers need to unionize in order to keep from being used by record companies, a point he has stressed in previous interviews. Pimp C also stepped into the booth during the show and did an off the head freestyle to Bun B's track "Draped Up". He stated that it was the first freestyle he had done since being released from prison. He released his debut solo album, The Sweet James Jones Stories, in March 2005 through Rap-A-Lot Records. Bun B and Rap-a-Lot records had waged a 'Free Pimp C' movement, spread through music, Free Pimp C t-shirts and caps.

In 2007 Pimp C released a DVD along with Pimpin Ken called "The Best of Both Worlds."

Personal life

Butler was sentenced to eight years in prison on January 28, 2002 for failing to complete a community service requirement stemming from an aggravated assault charge.

He was released on Friday, December 30, 2005 from the Terrell Prison Unit in Rosharon, Texas after serving about half of his eight-year sentence. He was to be on parole until December of 2009.

He was treated for minor injuries on April 18, 2006, after he was involved in a car accident while leaving the video shoot for his single "Pourin' Up." A Port Arthur Police officer that was escorting the rappers responded to gunfire and pursued the shooters. As the suspects fled through local neighborhoods on a flat tire, they crossed over Gulf Way Drive, ran a red light and struck Butler's Bentley at high speed. He was treated for minor injuries and released. A Rap-A-Lot security guard also spent time in the hospital before making a full recovery.

Death

On December 4, 2007, Pimp C was found dead at the Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood, California, after Los Angeles County Fire Department responded to a 911 call. The department arrived to his sixth floor hotel room to find Pimp C dead in bed. This was three days after Pimp C performed with Too Short at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's office state Pimp C died from an accidental overdose of Promethazine/Codeine "syrup" mixed with a pre-existing medical condition, sleep apnea, which causes a person to stop breathing during sleep. An overdose of this mixture also allegedly caused the death of rap producer DJ Screw.

Discography

LOS ANGELES (AP) — T-Pain transformed the BET Awards into a circus Tuesday with a multi-artist medley that showed the rapper and singer's wide-ranging influence on urban music.

Wearing a spangled top hat, T-Pain — nominated for a leading five BET Awards — shared the stage with fellow nominees Flo Rida, Rick Ross, Ludacris and Big Boi, along with a bevy of big-top freaks, including fire eaters and acrobats.

"This industry is my circus," said T-Pain. "Ride with the ringleader."

Then T-Pain — whose nominations came not for his own hits but for his collaborations with others, and whose vocoder-assisted voice is among the most ubiquitous in urban music — gave a sample of his musical assists over the past year.

Double nominee Flo Rida performed his hit with T-Pain, "Low"; a bare-chested Ross flaunted his gut while singing his song with T-Pain, "Boss"; and all joined in on the collaborative "I'm So Hood."

Not to be outdone, the ladies offered a showstopping performance of their own, led by double nominee Alicia Keys. Rocking a sleek bob and skintight jeans, Keys invited vintage girl groups SWV, En Vogue and TLC to join her onstage for a medley of their biggest hits. By the time they closed with TLC's "Waterfalls," the crowd at the Shrine Auditorium was on its feet. Even Kanye West was singing along.

"This performance was surreal," SWV's Leanne Lyons said backstage. "When we got the call that Alicia Keys was one of our biggest fans and that she wanted one of her favorite groups from the '90s to perform with her, it humbled us. She shared the stage. She's not ego tripping."

Kanye West won two awards: best male hip-hop artist and best collaboration for "Good Life," his song with T-Pain. And unlike past award shows, he didn't use his appearance to boost himself — at least that much. Instead, he praised T-Pain, calling him "a genius."

"We're blessed to be in this man's presence," West said. "I'll let y'all know because I'm one of the kings of this game. My opinion counts."

The rapper also paid homage to fellow nominee Lil Wayne when he won best male hip-hop artist: West called him "my fiercest competition." The New Orleans-based rapper last week sold 1 million copies of "Tha Carter III" for the year's best sales debut.

"You scared me man," West said. "Congratulations on selling over a million records. And they say hip hop is dead."

A somber moment came when UGK was named best group. Bun B honored his fallen bandmate, Pimp C, who died in December at age 33 from complications of sleep apnea.

"It's hard to do this with my brother not being here," Bun B said, while joined onstage with Pimp C's wife. "We want to thank y'all for supporting UGK all these years. It's still UGK for life... Long live Pimp C."

Usher opened the show with a bang — literally.

Pyrotechnics filled the auditorium as the singer performed "Love in this Club" from his latest album, "Here I Stand." The highly choreographed set, which featured Usher pop-locking, gyrating and grooving his way across the stage with a bevy of voluptuous dancers, gave the show a high-energy start.

Host D.L. Hughley's opening monologue was a little less explosive — his jokes about Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama, the recently acquitted R. Kelly and President Bush fell flat — but he didn't slow the pace of the performance-heavy show.

Key collaborations kept the show buzzing along.

Singer (and BET reality star) Keyshia Cole gave a glamorous performance of her ballad "Heaven Sent," descending from the ceiling while wearing a long flowing gown, before a dancer ripped it off, revealing a white top and shorts as she sang her hit "Let It Go" with Lil Kim.

West rapped alongside Young Jeezy in performance that was marked by its omissions — censors muted much of their performance. Chris Brown, who was seated next to rumored girlfriend Rihanna, won the night's first award: best male R&B artist.

The 19-year-old crooner thanked "my mom, God, everybody. If I leave y'all out, I'm sorry."

Brown was joined onstage by Ciara for a sizzling performance that showed off each artist's dance skills.

Kobe Bryant and Missy Elliott were other early winners, but the best male athlete and female hip-hop artist weren't there to collect their awards, nor was the evening's best new artist winner, The-Dream.