Rapper Ralan Styles, who went viral for his Baby Shark remix, shot dead in attempted robbery at age of 22

Ralan Styles, whose real name was Michael Robinson, was shot multiple times at a home in Columbus, Ohio, in the early hours of Saturday morning (October 19). According to local reports he was killed in a robbery gone wrong.

Witnesses said his alleged killer tried to steal his neck chain, and then shot him in a scuffle that followed before fleeing the scene. Police were called to the Victorian Village neighborhood just before 5am.

Officers who attended found Styles, originally from Tallahassee, Florida, bleeding from gunshot wounds. They tried to revive him until paramedics arrived. Once medics arrived a short time later attempts at CPR were made, but these failed and the social media star was pronounced dead at 5.10am.

Witnesses gave police a detailed description of the shooter, and police found a suspect, 24-year-old Mahamood Hassan, who matched the description, nearby. He was arrested, and charged with murder after witnesses picked him out of a police line-up as the shooter.

Hassan is now behind bars in the Franklin County Jail and will face court later today (Monday October 21).

Styles' elder brother, a rapper known as Lil Goat, posted videos of the pair together in the hours after his death in tribute. Alongside one of the videos, which were posted on Instagram, he wrote: “Not my lil brother man. I'm still waiting for you to call me and tell me this whole thing is a joke.

'My heart is f**king broken, I'll never be the same. We went from rapping at the lunch table together in middle school, to becoming superstars. We slept on the floor together, we ate together, we fought together, signed our first deal together.”

He added: “I love you bro, and as long as I'm alive you'll never die. Watch over me. Rest in peace to my lil brother. Save me a spot up there my heart.”

The late rapper’s friend Jared Krumm also wrote online that he had been “lost way too young”. He said: “Over the past two years [my brother] Jake and I got to experience the funny, energetic, and talented person that you were.

“There was never a dull moment with you whether we were in the studio, chillin in Jake's basement, or even just riding in the car to McDonald’s. You had an energy that will NEVER be forgotten.”

Styles went viral in 2022 rap remix of the children’s song Baby Shark, which became a worldwide phenomenon in 2019. His version was watched more than four million times on his YouTube and more on TikTok, which even gained him a record deal with Republic Records.

Styles had 121,000 subscribers on Youtube and 716,000 followers on Instagram. Many fans have left tributes to him online. One said: “You helped carve the path for me & all my friends. You were my best friend. Rest in piece (sic) but never gone in spirit we will carry your vision & dreams.”

One person said “the good die too soon” and another said they were listening to Styles’ music on repeat.