Recent celebrity deaths, like those of Kobe Bryant and Pop Smoke, have raised questions regarding how TMZ repeatedly manages to get hold of confidential information in these sorts of circumstances. Well, prepare to be baffled again because the tabloid site has now obtained Pop Smoke's death certificate somehow.
The document reveals that doctors performed a thoracotomy on the left side of the late Brooklyn rapper's chest in an attempt to save him from a gunshot wounds in his torso. TMZ speculates that his chest was opened in order to remove bullets, but the document also states that the time between the shooting and his death was "rapid." Pop Smoke, born Bashar Barakah Jackson, was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 5:12 AM on February 19 after being shot by home invaders in the Hollywood Hills. It remains unknown whether the assailants intended to kill Pop Smoke before breaking in or whether his shooting was a byproduct of the home invasion. Police are still investigating.
According to the death certificate, the 20-year-old's body was transported back to his native Brooklyn. His family held a private memorial over the weekend. His final burial is reportedly scheduled for later this week.
In other Pop Smoke-related news, 50 Cent has announced that he will be executive producing the late rapper's posthumous album.
