KSI issues heartbroken tribute to Sway after rapper and Toy Boy star dies aged 44

KSI has paid tribute to the memory of the British rapper Sway, who has died at the age of 44.

The Mobo awards, which counted Sway among their winners in 2005, announced his passing in a statement where they sent their condolences to his friends and family.

No cause of death has been announced and The Guardian reports that he passed away at his home in Ghana.

His birth name was Derek Safo and would later call himself Sway Dasafo, achieved success in his own right as an award winning artist but also helped other talents get their career started, including KSI.

KSI penned a heartfelt tribute to Sway on his Instagram page, saying 'thank you for everything you’ve done for me' and that news of his death was 'a lot'.

"You believed in me when many didn’t. You gave me a chance when many didn’t. Musically people laughed me off as a joke but you saw my potential and helped me grow as an artist," he wrote in his tribute.

"From smoke and mirrors to no sleep to Lamborghini you were there to help. It was so crazy because I was a fan of you.

"I remember I used your songs in my top 5 goals of the week videos back in the day and then the fact that you reached out to me to not only to thank me but to also help me musically…You were one of a kind man.

"I wish you were still here."

KSI went on to say that Sway was 'like a father figure to me' and knew that whenever he faced problems he could visit the rapper 'and you always knew what to say'.

Continuing his tribute to a man who clearly meant a lot to him, he wrote: "This one hurts a lot. Just feel like this year is really testing me man. Life right now is just trying to make me break.

"But I know you’d say that I’m a fighter and that I’ll get through it, however it just gets harder and harder man.

"You’re a king Sway. I’ll never forget you. My heart breaks for all your children that will no longer have you there. And all your friends and family that will no longer get to see you anymore.

"It’s not fair. Life isn’t fair. You will always be a legend. RIP Derek."

Sway married his wife Helen in 2013 and the couple had four children together, though in a more recent social media post he described himself as a 'single father'.