Wu-Tang Clan's Ol' Dirty Bastard Dead

Wu-Tang Clan original member Ol' Dirty Bastard died on Saturday after collapsing in a New York recording studio.

The rapper, who's real name was Russell Jones, would have turned 36 on Monday. ODB had complained of chest pains and difficulty breathing earlier in the day, according to reports. Emergency workers attempted to resuscitate ODB but pronounced him dead at 5:04 P.M.

"Russell inspired all of us with his spirit, wit and tremendous heart," Roc-A-Fella Records CEO Damon Dash said in a statement. "The world has lost a great talent, but we mourn the loss of our friend."

ODB helped cofound the nine-member Wu-Tang Clan along with Method Man, RZA, Ghostface Killah and others. The success of the group's 1993 debut album, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), prompted members to release solo albums. ODB completed Return to the 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version in 1995 and enjoyed a hit single, "Got Your Money," from his second solo album, 1999's Nigga Please.

By the end of the '90s, ODB's recording career stalled as he made headlines with erratic behavior fueled by cocaine abuse. At the 1998 Grammy Awards, angered by the Wu-Tang Clan's loss to Puff Daddy, ODB stormed the stage and launched into an impromptu speech, proclaiming, "Wu-Tang Clan is for the children!"

ODB was arrested in 1997 after failing to pay child support for his three children with wife Icelene Jones and was jailed again in 1998 after he pleaded guilty to attempted assault on his wife. Later that year, he was shot in the back during a robbery.

In 1998 ODB was arrested for shoplifting a pair of sneakers in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He was later charged with making "terrorist threats" after an altercation with security guards at the House of Blues in Los Angeles and again after threatening to kill an ex-girlfriend.

ODB's arrests continued into 1999 after he alleged fired a gun at officers, charges that were later dismissed. Back in Los Angeles, he was arrested for wearing a bulletproof vest, which is a crime for convicted felons. He returned to New York and was arrested numerous times for traffic violations, including including two where he was found with crack. On one occasion, ODB allegedly told police to "make this disappear."

He was sentenced to three years' probation and one year of drug rehabilitation after a raucous trial, during which ODB repeatedly fell asleep and on one occasion referred to a female attorney as a "sperm donor."

He became a fugitive again after escaping the drug-treatment center and was arrested at a Philadelphia McDonald's days after appearing onstage at a Wu-Tang Clan performance in New York.

ODB was sentenced to two years at the Clinton Correctional Facility and served time under psychiatric care. Upon his 2003 release, he signed to Roc-A-Fella Records and began work on a new album. The album was nearly completed at the time of his death. He also appeared at a Wu-Tang Clan reunion that was recently released on DVD and filmed a reality TV show for Spike TV.

In a statement, ODB's mother, Cherry Jones, said, "This evening I received a phone call that is every mother's worst dream. My son Russell Jones passed away. To the public he was known as Ol' Dirty Bastard, but to me he was known as Rusty—the kindest, most generous soul on earth. Russell was more then a rapper; he was a loving father, brother, uncle and most of all, son."

ODB is rumored to be survived by 13 children.