Young Dolph Mural Vandalized

A mural honoring the late rapper Young Dolph was recently vandalized with paint in South Memphis. FOX13Memphis.com reports that the mural, which was commissioned by his family and the Ida Mae Foundation, was defaced by two vandals with paint, and it was all caught on camera. Local artist Cameron Hill began working on the mural just four months ago at King of Discounts Mini Mart in South Memphis. Hill took a break from painting after receiving hate mail correspondences. He is upset over the vandalism as he was hoping he’d have it complete by July 27, which would have been Dolph’s 37th birthday. Now, things are put on hold.

Dolph, real name Adolph Robert Thornton Jr., was at a cookie shop in Memphis, Tennessee picking up pastries for his mother when he was shot with an assault rifle. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The rapper was 36 with a reputation for generosity and integrity and for being a pillar in his community. His murder came hours before he was scheduled to manage a turkey drive for Thanksgiving. The drive went on in his honor.

Dolph had a longtime partner, Mia Jaye, and two children. At the time of his death, he and Jaye were planning their wedding. His partner has been vocal about how devastating his death has been for her to process.

“It’s been extremely difficult just having to pick up the pieces and to find the strength for my children,” she told ABC News Live’s Linsey Davis. “Now that he’s no longer here, it’s just very tough for me to be strong for them and be strong for myself because he — you know, Adolph was my soulmate.”

Two men were arrested and indicted on first-degree murder charges in connection with his killing. A third suspect was charged with being an accessory to the murder.