Prince Markie Dee, a member of The Fat Boys hip-hop trio who later formed his own band and became a well-known radio host, died Thursday, Feb. 18, 2021, the day before his 53rd birthday.

His death was announced by the SiriusXM station Rock The Bells, which did not provide a cause of death. However, his man- ager, Louis Gregory, reported Prince Markie Dee sought medical care at a Miami hospital because his hands and feet were swollen but died before doctors could surgically insert a stent, which they told him he needed for a heart blockage.

Born Mark Anthony Morales in Brooklyn, N.Y., Prince Markie Dee was a prolific songwriter and founding member of The Fat Boys, a group known for beatboxing. They released several popular albums in the 1980s such as the platinum record “Crushin.’ ”

Their 1984 debut album, “Fat Boys,” went gold. Their next two albums sold millions of copies and they were featured in the films “Krush Groove” and “Disorderlies.”

Mr. Morales, Darren Robinson and Damon “Kool Rockski” Wimbley were known as Disco 3 when they won a rap contest in Brooklyn in 1984. That win led to a record deal and a European tour during which they generated high room-service bills that earned the ire of their promoter, who started calling them “fat boys,” a 1995 obituary for Mr. Robinson noted.

Mr. Morales formed his own band in 1993, Prince Markie Dee & The Soul Convention, which released the R&B hit “Swing My Way.”

“Prince Markie Dee was more than a rapper,” Mr. Gregory wrote on Twitter. “He was one of my very best and closest friends. My heart breaks today because I lost a brother.”