Acclaimed hip hop manager stabbed to death while partying at after hours club in NYC: 'It's like a bad dream'

Percy Forrest, a legendary fig successful the Bronx hip-hop country and longtime collaborator of rapper Fat Joe, was stabbed to decease portion attending an after-hours lawsuit astatine a nine successful New York City. 

Forrest, 55, was killed portion at Agenda Restaurant and Lounge successful Astoria, Queens connected November 11 astatine astir 2:20am. 

Following the stabbing, Forrest was rushed to Elmhurst Hospital wherever his injuries proved fatal.

His decease has near his household and section assemblage successful mourning portion the euphony satellite and instrumentality enforcement are inactive grappling for answers.

Despite immoderate archetypal leads successful the lawsuit which led to 1 idiosyncratic being arrested, they were aboriginal released and constabulary person remained tight-lipped ever since astir imaginable suspects, leaving a big of unanswered questions.

The 55-year-old's sidesplitting sparked an outpouring of grief from friends, family, and fans who retrieve his power successful hip-hop but besides for his larger-than-life personality.

The soundlessness surrounding his execution - from imaginable witnesses who were astatine the nine the nighttime helium was killed - and from wrong the tight-knit community, has near constabulary stumped and lone compounded the anguish of those who knew and loved him. 

Known for his impeccable style, Forrest was profoundly embedded successful the hip-hop world, managing artists and moving with Fat Joe arsenic portion of the Terror Squad successful the precocious 90s and aboriginal 2000s.

Forrest’s relation arsenic a manager and mentor to countless artists cemented his bequest arsenic a cornerstone of the Bronx’s vibrant euphony scene. 

Denise Forrest, 33, his daughter, described her father's bequest with pride: 'In the euphony manufacture overall, helium was precise good known. Him and Fat Joe were champion friends.' 

Indeed, Fat Joe and Forrest grew up unneurotic with them becoming buddies successful kindergarten with their friendship lasting for decades and yet a cornerstone of their lives and careers. 

In a 2022 interview, Forrest recounted their archetypal meeting: 'I was the baddest achromatic feline successful the school, Joe was the baddest Puerto Rican successful the school, and we would ever conscionable each different successful the principal's office. 

'One time we was looking astatine each different and was like, 'Wassup, wassup', and we started laughing and became champion friends. This was kindergarten. We remained friends passim the years,' Forrest said. 

During the interrogation Forrest told however helium had been a subordinate of a four-man creation unit called Up Town's Hottest but a late-night brawl pushed him to springiness up performing, astatine which constituent helium began hustling connected the streets. 

He had been managing an R&B radical and orchestrating a lucrative summons scalping strategy erstwhile Fat Joe approached him with an connection to articulation Terror Squad connected information helium halt moving the streets. 

'Joe hollered astatine maine 1 time and said, "Yo listen, if you permission the streets unsocial I'll assistance you with this euphony thing. But you got to permission the streets alone",' Forrest said.

'So I near the streets alone. That's however I came into the euphony concern and did the full Terror Squad,' helium recounted.

Terror Squad was an American hep hop corporate that was archetypal established successful 1998 and ran until 2006. 

His devastated widow, Yulonda Paul, shared her heartbreak implicit the nonaccomplishment of her husband, whom she met implicit 30 years agone astatine a skating rink wherever helium complimented her connected her fashion. 'We were inseparable close away,' she said. 

The mates built a beingness together, raising children and sharing dreams. 

Forrest's decease has present shattered those plans, including a milestone day solemnisation for Paul. 

'All we talked astir was the things we were going to bash for my 50th birthday, and present he's not adjacent here,' she said.

Forrest ran a endowment bureau promoting and managing artists portion his power extended beyond euphony and saw him enactment arsenic a concierge to celebrities providing entree to exclusive restaurants and events arsenic helium built a estimation arsenic a trendsetter.

'He was capable to get into rooms different radical couldn't get into,' Paul said. 'Basketball players would travel into municipality and privation to cognize the champion edifice to spell to.

'He would get them reservations for places that were hard to get into, helium would get you in. Percy was that guy.'

Tributes poured successful connected societal media, with Bronx natives praising his contributions and charisma. 

'Damn Percy, you conscionable devastated a full assemblage of radical with this,' 1 Instagram idiosyncratic wrote.

'This feline was the champion dressed since we were kids,' wrote a puerility friend. 

'This 1 deed antithetic large bro conscionable spoke with you earlier you went retired determination smh I got truthful overmuch to accidental but immoderate cognize what to accidental but I'm going clasp you down King,' different added.

Wife, Paul, said she had decided to enactment offline for the clip being with her grief inactive being raw.

'I honestly person been staying distant from societal media. It's achy to spot my husband's pictures implicit and over,' Paul told The News. 'The outpouring of emotion is beauteous to spot but it's precise painful.'

'It's similar this is not real. It's similar it's a atrocious imagination and it's not existent and he's going to telephone maine and I'm conscionable waiting to spot him. I'm waiting for him to amusement up and it's not going to happen.'

His life, however, was not without challenges. Forrest faced ineligible battles, including an 18-month stint astatine Rikers Island earlier charges successful a 2011 Harlem execution lawsuit were dismissed, and a three-and-a-half-year situation condemnation for an battle successful Manhattan successful 1995.

Despite the ordeal, Forrest remained resilient, with Fat Joe marveling astatine his friend's quality to forgive those who failed to enactment him during his trials. 

'I couldn't ideate going done what Percy did and coming retired with nary grudges,' the rapper said successful an interrogation past year.

Forrest's son, Dior, highlighted the emotion and respect his begetter commanded, adjacent during the hard times specified arsenic the tribunal case.

'He wasn't abbreviated of emotion erstwhile helium was going done that,' helium said. 

On the nighttime of his death, Forrest had been enjoying a nine helium was acquainted with astatine Agenda Lounge. 

'I cannot adjacent fathom what occurred. I conscionable privation it was a nighttime that helium did not go,' girl Denise said to the New York Daily News. 'I heard it was truly really crowded that night.' 

Paul revealed her hubby had visited the venue aggregate times, including a New Year's Eve solemnisation they had shared. 

Forrest's quality to navigate some the streets and the euphony manufacture solidified his presumption arsenic a Bronx legend.

As constabulary proceed to investigate, Forrest's household and friends are near grappling with their loss. 

His widow, reflecting connected his legacy, summed up the void she felt his passing leaves. 

'I didn't recognize that erstwhile I'm successful present fussing astir him taking retired the garbage oregon changing a lightbulb, helium goes extracurricular and radical dainty him similar he's this guy,' Paul said.

'I knew helium was connected and helium was good respected. I didn't recognize the magnitude. I didn't cognize it went this acold and I'm arrogant of him.'