Common’s father Lonnie Lynn, a frequent guest on his son’s projects, has passed away, according to the Associated Press.

Lynn died Friday (September 12), according to Common, who revealed the news in a Monday (September 15) interview, the report says. Common did not reveal any further details.

Lynn was 71.

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Lynn, who played in the American Basketball Association in the 1969-1970 season, reportedly faced struggles with addiction and fatherhood, according to the AP story. Lynn was also a poet who would appear on several Common albums as “Pops.”

“He was truly a natural poet and master of words,” Common, who is named after his father, said yesterday (September 15). “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.”

HipHopDX extends its condolences to Common and the rest of Lynn’s family.  

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(September 16, 2014)

UPDATE: Video of Common discussing the passing of his father had been released.

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