Three 6 Mafia has lost one of its founding members as Ricky "Lord Infamous" Dunigan was found dead on Friday evening (Dec 20th).

The rapper died after suffering a heart attack in his sleep in Memphis at his mother's home.

Dunigan's half-brother and co-founder of the hip-hop group, DJ Paul, told Rolling Stone, "He was at home sitting at the table and he just lay his head down and he just left us."

Infamous had not been ill prior to his death but he did suffer a stroke and heart attack three years ago in 2010.

DJ Paul and Lord Infamous began their careers in the early 1990s in Memphis and when Juicy J joined their outfit, Three 6 Mafia was born.Their debut album, 'Mystic Stylez' was released four years later in 1995.

The group is most well-known for becoming the first hip-hop act to win an Oscar for Best Original Song in 2006, 'It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp' was the soundtrack to the film 'Hustle and Flow'.

The late performer was working on the group's new album set for release in March 2014 as well as releasing a collection of his old mixtapes, DJ Paul said.

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

Paul added, "Lord Infamous was the kind of person that never cared about having a lot of money or this or that. He just liked to make music, he liked to rap, and he liked to make people happy."

R.I.P Ricky 'Lord Infamous' Dunigan.

Three 6 Mafia
Three 6 Mafia members Juicy J and DJ Paul