Common’s Pops dies at 71

Common, real name Lonnie Rashid Lynn Jr’s father who’s been a regular contributor on his albums has passed away.

Lonnie Lynn, popularly known to his son’s fans as ‘Pops’ died on Friday at the age of 71. He was the rich voice that came at the end of Common’s track list to recite a poem to complete the album.

Pops first appeared on Common’s second album Resurrection and has remained a constant feature on his son’s work except the rapper’s recent release, Nobody's Smiling, which came out this year.

The two did not always have a rosy relationship, especially during the rapper’s upbringing.  The senior Lynn was a star high school basketball player in Chicago and played in the 1969-1970 season in the American Basketball Association. He struggled with drug addiction and was absent in Common’s childhood after separating from his mother.

"The way he said things made me look at life and the world in a new way, in a different way. They always sparked a thought in my head. His words would always make me strive to achieve higher, to write better, to be more truthful with my words," said the 42 year-old rapper and actor in an interview.

"He was truly a natural poet and master of words. His personality and soul shined through his work," Common said in an interview with abc news.

In the last recital on his son’s album The Dreamer/The Believer  in 2011 he said: "For those of us who come from less than enviable circumstances, dreams — good dreams, sweet dreams — dreams come true. Truthful dreams, truthful dreams become life."