Original Kottonmouth Kings member Saint Dog (nee Steven Thronson) passed away on October 14 in Victorville, California. His death was announced at Instagram. He was 44.
Thronson founded the Southern California hip-hop/punk band with fellow rappers Brad Daddy X and D-Loc, DJ Bobby B, drummer Lou Dogg and dancer Pakelika. They were all from Placentia.
He played a major role on the Kings' debut album, Royal Highness, in 1998, but dropped out after that and was replaced by Johnny Richter. Thronson returned to the Krown for their last two albums, Mile High (2012) and Kingdome Come (2018). He had a high-pitched voice with a noticeable drawl. Watch "Bump" and "Suburban Life" below.
Similar to Cypress Hill, Kottonmouth Kings devote a significant amount of time rhyming about weed. They were among the groups who performed at the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam.
With albums released on their own label Suburban Noize (initially via Capitol Records), they retained control of their music, But a fight over the label led to a split and Daddy X's departure in 2013, followed by Richter's. Pakelika died in 2012.
Thronson's cause of death has yet to be determined. According to TMZ it occurred at his friend's house: "SD's buddy found him struggling to breathe in one of the home's bedrooms, and called 911. Saint Dog was pronounced dead at the scene. There were no obvious signs of foul play."
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