CADET, the talented British grime artist, has died in a horror taxi smash while on the way to a performance in Staffordshire in the early hours of this morning. Police confirmed the 28-year-old, whose real name is Blaine Johnson, was killed when the Toyota Prius he was travelling crashed into a van at around 1.30am. 17 Credit: Getty - Contributor 17 A statement on Cadet's Instagram was posted this morning confirming he had died in a crash Credit: Instagram 17 This is the last picture Cadet posted on Instagram with the caption 'Home' Credit: Instagram He was heading to Keele University to perform at the student union's Fresh Friday Takeover with three other people, who were also injured. Staffordshire Police say they were called to a crash involving a Toyota Prius and a red Vauxhall Combo van on the A531 in Betley. Despite desperate attempts to save him, officers confirmed Cadet, from London, died at the scene. Both drivers, a 36-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent and a 22-year-old man from Crewe, suffered serious injuries and taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital. Three other passengers in the Toyota were treated at Leighton Hospital in Crewe, cops said. TAXI SMASH Cadet's heartbroken family confirmed his death in a statement on his Instagram before making his account private. They said: "We the family of Blaine Cameron Johnson known as Cadet (Underrated Legend) would like to share the sad news that during the early hours of 9th February 2019 he passed away as a passenger in a taxi, en route to a performance. "Right now we the family appreciate your patience and will share with you any information as and when we can. Thanks for your support in advance. "Love The Johnson Family #cadetcadet #imbuff #underratedlegend #ripcadet." My life will never be the same again. I love you and will forever miss you. I cant believe it. I am heartbroken. Rest in peace cuz Krept He was the cousin of rapper Casyo Johnson, also known as Krept, who shared a childhood photo of the pair together as he paid tribute. Heartbroken Krept said: "My life will never be the same again. I love you and will forever miss you. I cant believe it. I am heartbroken. Rest in peace cuz. "You finally started getting the recognition you deserved. Im so proud of you. My left lung. Im devestated and broken right now [sic]". HEARTBROKEN TRIBUTES Tributes from other shocked members of the music industry have poured since the tragic news broke early this morning. Rapper Giggs posted a picture of the artist on his Instagram and wrote: "Proper sad and shocked to hear this. Really sorry to Cadets family man,prayers and blessings to his family at this hard time. RIP CADET." Example said: "Was chatting to you only last week about how excited you were for some festivals this summer. So much positive energy. Smiling nonstop when I was with you, first time we met I felt as if I’d known you my whole life. Mad humble guy. RIP Cadet". DJ Semtex shared a video on Twitter, saying: "Cant believe it... I was on stage with him last week. Never seen a man so happy. Everything was working out for him. "This was gonna be his year. We were plottin [sic] on the best time to do an interview on his next single. Rip Cadet". Smiling nonstop when I was with you, first time we met I felt as if I’d known you my whole life. Mad humble guy. RIP Cadet Example Mega So Solid paid tribute, saying: "He brought life & substance to the uk music scene Cadet #RiP" One fan wrote: "This sudden & unexpected news about Cadet is saddening...life is actually fleeting; Rest in Power Cadet, he was way too young." Entertainment group The Creatives wrote: "We’re in total shock! Rest in Paradise to UK Rap Superstar Callmecadet. "Your musical abilities, your flows, concepts and acting levels are forever incredible. All our love & stength towards the Johnson family and his supporters." Keele University's student union, where he was due to perform, tweeted: "We are deeply saddened to hear the tragic news that Cadet passed away en route to Keele in the early hours of this morning. "We would like to offer our sincere condolences to his loved ones at this difficult time." 'UNDERRATED LEGEND' The rising star, who found success on YouTube, was due to perform at Wireless Festival 2019. Announcing his schedule, the festival said: "The proclaimed 'Underrated Legend', Cadet, stepped into the music scene during the second half of 2015 with a hard-hitting freestyle reaching over half a million views in just a few months. "This was quickly followed by another heartfelt freestyle, Cadet is tipped for an unstoppable career." Wireless confirmed today that his slot will be kept on the schedule as a time to reflect on his memory. They tweeted: "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family, friends and fans of Cadet. Such sad news. We’ll be keeping his Wireless performance as a time to reflect on the memory of Blaine." Cadet is tipped for an unstoppable career Wireless Festival organisers Cadet best-known tracks included Letter To Krept, Instagram Girls and Advice, as well as two EPs, The Commitment and The Commitment 2. He supported Krept & Konan on their The Long Way Home tour, as well as touring with Bugzy Malone. Cadet last posted on Instagram three days ago when he shared a picture of himself performing on stage, with the caption: "Home." His management has said they will be releasing a statement later today when they have more details. A Staffordshire police spokesperson said: "At just before 1.30am on February 9, police were called to reports of a two-vehicle collision involving a silver Toyota Prius and a red Vauxhall Combo van on Main Road, Betley (A531). "Emergency services attended and a passenger of the Toyota, a 28-year-old man from London, sadly died at the scene. Specialist officers are supporting the man’s family. MOST READ IN NEWS 'GOBSMACKED' Queen 'gave Harry OK for Oprah series after misleading pitch about soldiers' ROD LIDDLE Ousting right-on National Trust boss is a victory against wokery DRUMMER DEAD School Of Rock star dies at 32 after being hit by car as Jack Black mourns HOUSE ABOUT IT You won't believe what this ordinary London home looks like on the inside Exclusive TOM'S LEGACY Captain Tom Moore — who raised £39m for charity — left family £73k in will JABS HOPE Scientists 'crack cause of blood clots linked to Covid jabs & know how to fix it' "The drivers of both vehicles, a 36-year-old man from Stoke-on-Trent and a 22-year-old man from Crewe, were taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital with serious injuries. "Three further passengers of the Toyota were treated at Leighton Hospital in Crewe. "Officers from the Staffordshire and West Midlands Serious Collision Investigation Unit are appealing for witnesses or anyone with relevant dashcam footage to contact 101, quoting incident 45 of 9 February." They later confirmed the 28-year-old to be Blaine Cameron Johnson, aka rapper Cadet. 17 Cadet had been due to perform at Keele University's student union night Fresh Friday Takeover Credit: Keele University 17 Rapper Krept, of duo Krept and Konan, tweeted a childhood picture alongside Cadet as he paid tribute 17 Former footballer and TV pundit Ian Wright paid tribute on Twitter 17 Rapper Mega So Solid paid tribute to the rising star on Twitter 17 Popular artist Giggs said he was 'proper sad and shocked' at the tragedy 17 Crowd Controller said the rap star was 'gone way before your time' 17 Rapper Example paid tribute on Twitter 17 Cadet was known for his storytelling tracks and was much-loved by fans Credit: 2015 C Brandon 17 Big Daddy Kane said he felt 'numb' and 'sick' at the shock news 17 Manny said he 'couldn't stop smiling' at getting a Wireless gig 17 Austin said 'Rest in Power' 17 17 Wireless will keep Cadet's slot on its schedule as a time to reflect on his memory<doc-sep>Rapper Cadet died in a car crash, aged 28 (Picture: Redferns) Rapper Cadet has sadly died in a car crash, aged 28. The Advice star, real name Blaine Cameron Johnson, was killed in an accident, while on the way to a performance. Following the tragic news, a string of famous faces have rushed to pay tribute to the late star on social media. His cousin Krept, of Krept and Konan, was among the first to post, sharing a message on Instagram, simply stating: ‘This can’t be real’. Krept leads tributes to Cadet on social media (Picture: Instagram) Absolutely broken? — TALLY (@kreptplaydirty) February 9, 2019 My life will never be the same again. I love you and will forever miss you. I cant believe it. I am heartbroken. Rest in peace cuz. You finally started getting the recognition you deserved. Im so proud of you. My left lung. Im devestated and broken right now ?? pic.twitter.com/125pWPMzO1 — TALLY (@kreptplaydirty) February 9, 2019 He later followed this up on Twitter, adding he is ‘absolutely broken’. ‘My life will never be the same again. I love you and will forever miss you. I can’t believe it. I am heartbroken. Rest in peace cuz,’ he said. ‘You finally started getting the recognition you deserved. I’m so proud of you. My left lung. ‘I’m devastated and broken right now.’ Yungen said: ‘This can’t be true man it can’t. Only thing keeping me sane right now is all of your kind words ❤️ — TALLY (@kreptplaydirty) February 9, 2019 This feels like I’ve woken up to some sick joke. @Callmecadet I’m ? bro. You was my actual guy. We was talking the other day about everything and how far mans come, I can’t believe this. I actually can’t believe this. ??? — Yungen (@YungenPlayDirty) February 9, 2019 ‘This feels like I’ve woken up to some sick joke. @Callmecadet I’m [heartbroken] bro. You was my actual guy. ‘We was talking the other day about everything and how far mans come, I can’t believe this. I actually can’t believe this.’ Example tweeted: ‘Was chatting to you only last week about how excited you were for some festivals this summer. So much positive energy. ‘Smiling nonstop when I was with you, first time we met I felt as if I’d known you my whole life. Mad humble guy. RIP Cadet.’ Was chatting to you only last week about how excited you were for some festivals this summer. So much positive energy. Smiling nonstop when I was with you, first time we met I felt as if I’d known you my whole life. Mad humble guy. RIP Cadet ??? — example (@example) February 9, 2019 Cant believe it… I was on stage with him last week . Never seen a man so happy. Everything was working out for him. This was gonna be his year. We were plottin on the best time to do an interview on his next single. Rip Cadet ? ?❤️ pic.twitter.com/Nwy65RUqbJ — DJSemtex (@DJSemtex) February 9, 2019 R.I.P Cadet may his soul rest in peace ❤️❤️?? and may God strengthen his family and loved ones. Really sad news ???????? — NSG Entertainment (@NSG) February 9, 2019 DJ Semtex posted: ‘Can’t believe it… I was on stage with him last week. Never seen a man so happy. Everything was working out for him. This was gonna be his year. ‘We were plottin on the best time to do an interview on his next single. Rip Cadet.’ ‘R.I.P Cadet may his soul rest in peace and may God strengthen his family and loved ones. Really sad news,’ NSG tweeted. Ghetts wrote: ‘Just woken up looked at my timeline proper genuine brudda cadet. condolences to his close friends and family.’ rest in peace brother #RIPCADET ?? — Naughty Boy (@NaughtyBoyMusic) February 9, 2019 Just woken up looked at my timeline ??? proper genuine brudda cadet. condolences to his close friends and family. — GHETTS (@THEREALGHETTS) February 9, 2019 While Manny Norte commented: ‘Woke up to the very sad news. Saw him just last week and I said congrats on the Wireless gig. He couldn’t stop smiling. RIP Cadet.’ And Naughty Boy added: ‘Rest in peace brother #RIPCadet.’ Cadet died in the early hours of this morning, after a car accident on the way to a concert. His family confirmed the news with a statement on his social media page, which read: ‘We the family of Blaine Cameron Johnson known as Cadet (Underrated Legend) would like to share the sad news that during the early hours of 9th February 2019 he passed away as a passenger in a taxi, en route to a performance. ‘Right now we the family appreciate your patience and will share with you any information as and when we can. Thanks for your support in advance. ‘Love The Johnson Family #cadetcadet #imbuff #underratedlegend #ripcadet.’ His management confirmed they will be releasing their own message later today, when they have more information.<doc-sep>
Cadet has died aged 28 (Picture: Getty) UK rapper Cadet has tragically died aged 28 in a car accident. His family confirmed the tragic news, telling fans Cadet, real name Blaine Cameron Johnson, had been killed in a car crash on his way to a performance. A statement shared on his Instagram read: ‘We the family of Blaine Cameron Johnson known as Cadet (Underrated Legend) would like to share the sad news that during the early hours of 9th February 2019 he passed away as a passenger in a taxi, en route to a performance. Absolutely broken? — TALLY (@kreptplaydirty) February 9, 2019 ‘Right now we the family appreciate your patience and will share with you any information as and when we can. Thanks for your support in advance. ‘Love The Johnson Family #cadetcadet #imbuff #underratedlegend #ripcadet.’ He had been set to play the Fresh Friday Takeover event at Keele University on Friday night. Cadet performs on stage at Electric Ballroom (Picture: Joseph Okpako/WireImage) Police have now confirmed that a 28-year-old man was killed in a two-vehicle collision in Betley. Cadet was the cousin of Krept, of duo Krept and Konan; the Freak Of The Week rapper tweeted: ‘Absolutely broken.’ Tributes have poured in on social media for the rising star, with the rapper Ghetts saying: ‘Just woken up looked at my timeline ??? proper genuine brudda cadet. condolences to his close friends and family.’ Producer Dr Kane tweeted: ‘I feel numb my bro you know. I was just speaking to you about our next tune we were gonna drop and shut down this year. I feel sick man !!! RIP cadet.’ DJ Semtex wrote: ‘Cant believe it… I was on stage with him last week . Never seen a man so happy. Everything was working out for him. This was gonna be his year. We were plottin on the best time to do an interview on his next single. Rip Cadet.’ Example paid tribute, writing: ‘Was chatting to you only last week about how excited you were for some festivals this summer. So much positive energy. Smiling nonstop when I was with you, first time we met I felt as if I’d known you my whole life. Mad humble guy. RIP Cadet.’ A fan added: ‘RIP Cadet. It’s sad how we rarely ever appreciate and support hard working artists when they are alive. We will now start hearing how great he truly was.’ Cadet was set to perform at Wireless Festival this year, with the festival saying: ‘The proclaimed “Underrated Legend”, Cadet, stepped into the music scene during the second half of 2015 with a hard-hitting freestyle reaching over half a million views in just a few months. This was quickly followed by another heartfelt freestyle, Cadet is tipped for an unstoppable career.’ Cadet last posted on Instagram three days ago (Picture: Instagram) He found success on YouTube with songs like Letter To Krept, Instagram Girls and Advice racking up millions of views, and released two EPs, The Commitment and The Commitment 2. As well as having his own headline shows, Cadet supported Krept & Konan on their The Long Way Home tour, as well as touring with Bugzy Malone. Cadet’s final Instagram post came three days ago, when he shared a picture of himself on stage – captioning the photo: ‘Home.’ If you have time, would love to see you all Tomorrow 3pm at hyde park❤️ pic.twitter.com/1Lb6aN7h0o — TALLY (@kreptplaydirty) February 9, 2019 Speaking about his music, the London-born musician said: ‘I wouldn’t call myself a storyteller. I dislike being called that. If you go back to old-school music through the history, music is meant to be you telling your story, and about how certain things make you feel. Slick Rick was a story-teller, because he’ll make up a story then tell you something a bank robber or something like that, that was storytelling. ‘All I know is I’m working hard today, tomorrow and the day after, so shit’s gonna come together. I’m just working hard every day, and that’s better than working towards something in six months, because I’m making the most out of today.’ Cadet’s management said they will be releasing a statement later today when they have more details. MORE : Oscar-nominated actor Albert Finney dies aged 82