On February 28, 2010, Guru went into cardiac arrest and, following surgery, fell into a coma. It was claimed that Guru had briefly awakened from his comaFaraone, Chris (March 3, 2010). "Hip-hop Legend [the] Guru out of Coma, Issues Press Release. The Boston Phoenix but died on April 19, 2010, at the age of 48, from multiple myeloma, a form of blood cancer. Guru was survived by his parents, three siblings, and a son named Keith Casim. His production partner, Solar, claimed that Guru had momentarily awakened from his coma to compose a letter to the public, although DJ Premier and members of Guru's family stated that he never regained consciousness. Guru's family claimed that Solar had prevented them from having contact with Guru during his illness just before his death; the validity of the deathbed letter was consequently challenged by Guru's family. In an interview on Conspiracy Worldwide Radio, Solar claimed that he was protective of Guru, and everything he had said was true. This interview was met by extreme emotion from the hip hop community and did little to clear the controversy surrounding his actions.
