Houston hip-hop star Bushwick Bill of the pioneering rap group Geto Boys is still battling cancer, his family confirmed Sunday, after TMZ and others prematurely reported his death.

Bushwick Bill, 52, was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer earlier this year. His son took to Instagram to dispel the false death reports, “He’s still alive and fighting for his life. He needs your continued prayers and support.”

Bill was born as Richard Shaw in Jamaica and, after eventually settling in Houston, he initially took on the Litle Billy stage name and then became Bushwick Bill in shaping the Geto Boys as a trio with Scarface and Willie D, including the iconic “We Can’t Be Stopped” album in 1991 that would go onto be certified platinum for sales.

Born with dwarfism and growing to less than 4 feet tall, Shaw still stood tall in the hip-hop community, even releasing his debut solo album called “Little Big Man” in 1992.

The false death reports fooled other members of the Geto Boys and much of the hip-hop community. “You will be missed big fella,” Brad Jordan, known as Scarface, wrote on Instagram.

After a different mix of members had modest success as the Ghetto Boys in the late 1980s, the reformulated Geto Boys hit it big in 1991 with the hardcore hip-hop album “We Can’t Be Stopped” with its mix of gory, shocking and often misogynistic lyrics that tackled mental health issues, drugs and much more. The album though helped put Houston’s Fifth Ward and Southern rap on the map. The single “Mind Playing Tricks on Me” was a breakout hit.

The Geto Boys members were often up front about their personal lives, ranging from Jordan’s bipolar disorder to the infamous incident when Shaw shot himself in the eye during an altercation with his then-girlfriend. The album cover of “We Can’t Be Stopped” shows Bill’s injury while he’s in a hospital gown. He went along with the cover, although he later expressed some regret about showcasing himself in such a vulnerable state.

Shaw has said he was reborn after the shooting and years later would become a born-again Christian.

He was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer early this year. A potential reunion tour for the Geto Boys also fell through in recent months. He had said he was working on three albums to help provide financially for his family after his death.

jordan.blum@chron.com

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