Biz Markie – Speculation Surrounding Artist’s Supposed Death Shut Down By Manager & Roland S. Martin: Biz Has Not Passed Away
Biz Markie – Speculation Surrounding Artist’s Supposed Death Shut Down By Manager & Roland S. Martin: Biz Has Not Passed Away
Despite reports on the matter, those close to Biz Markie claim the artist has not passed away.
It appears as though the rumor of Biz Markie‘s death was reported late last night (Wednesday, June 30th). However, journalist Roland S. Martin denied the speculation. He tweeted,
“Folks, @BizMarkie has NOT died. I have been in contact with sources who are texting and talking to his wife. My source talked to Biz TODAY. Per his wife, Biz HAS NOT passed away. Please stop responding to non-credible sources. This hurts the family, friends and fans.”
He also shut down a respondent’s comment regarding Biz Markie being brain dead, calling it nothing more than speculation.
Later, he revealed that he confirmed Biz Markie was still alive in the early hours of Thursday, July 1st by speaking with the artist’s wife.
Shortly thereafter, he also responded to a Twitter user’s statement regarding hospice care. After the individual claimed people in hospice care are just waiting to die, Roland S. Martin tweeted:
“Not true. [Writer] Art Buchwald went into hospice, was receiving visitors as he expected to die, improved and got discharged. NEVER assume.”
Roland S. Martin also went to Instagram to share his thoughts on the supposedly erroneous reports. In a lengthy post, the journalist wrote:
“This @officialbizmarkie stuff tonight really p***es me off. Listen to me: You CANNOT trust all so-called media outlets. A cheap a** way of doing ‘journalism’ is to say So & so is ‘reportedly’ dead. Well, who is the ‘reportedly’? Who are their sources? What are they basing the ‘report’ on? Who is quoted? This is why I don’t follow BS. When I see a ‘story,’ I first READ the article. I look to see what they are basing the information. When Twitter went crazy with the lie @revolttv initially posted about @officialbizmarkie dying, I called a close friend of his, a industry legend. He said, ‘I talked to Biz today.’ Me: Not good enough.”
He continued:
“Why? He could have talked to him at 2 p.m., and stuff happens in 11 hours. He then said, ‘I talked to his wife.’ I said, ‘When?’ Him: A few minutes ago. Me: ‘Text the wife now.’ He did. Response? ‘Still alive.’ I said, ‘Tell her I’m posting this, does she approve?’ Him: ‘Yes.’ What did I do there? I CALLED a source. I didn’t RT some b******t someone else ‘reported.’ I chose to VERIFY myself. My source then called the wife. I then was SPECIFIC in my questions to establish the timeline before I ‘published.’ This is what real journalists do. People trust us. We can’t just toss out BS. A fellow TV journalist called me to say one female rapper hit him on in tears over the (now false) news on Biz. Now she’s on an emotional rollercoaster because of an erroneous post. This stuff infuriates me. It’s just bad form.”
He then proceeded to wrap up his post by calling out Revolt once again:
“The folks at @revolttv owe the public an apology for posting that story. I know @diddy and @detavio. There should be an IMMEDIATE assessment of their journalistic protocols to determine how that story got published on the site. There must be editorial standards in place. ANY story that is published must be properly vetted & approved by several editors. The reporter who wrote it must stand by their REPORTING. Stop this weak a** journalism of re-writing news based on someone else’s tweet that you never confirmed yourself. I was trained Old school: Trust AND verify. That s**t will never change.”
Additionally, Biz Markie‘s manager–Jenni Izumi–released a statement to NBC News on the rumor. She said:
“Biz is still under medical care, surrounded by professionals who are working hard to provide the best healthcare possible. Biz’s wife and family are touched by the outpouring of love and admiration from his friends, peers and fans alike. At this time, we ask for your continued thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
It is currently unclear why Biz Markie is with medical professionals. However, as previously reported, the artist suffered a stroke last year while in a diabetic coma.
What do you think about the situation? Comment down below to let us know.