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Chanel West Coast Opens Up About Big Black's Death: "It's Just Super Tragic"

"He was so young," the former MTV reality star tells E! News

By Mike Vulpo, Zach Johnson May 18, 2017 3:40 PMTags

Chanel West Coast is still trying to make sense of Christopher "Big Black" Boykin's death.

E! News caught up with the 28-year-old rapper at OK! magazine's summer kick-off party in Hollywood Wednesday, where she revealed how she's been processing his passing. "We're all very sad that he's gone. It's super tragic," Chanel said of her MTV co-star, who died of a heart attack May 9 at age 45. "He was so young and he has a little girl, which makes it even sadder."

Boykin leaves behind quite a legacy, she added.

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"I think everyone is going to remember him as such a funny guy. He's going to keep people laughing forever in reruns to come. I think we're all going to remember him in a great way. It's just super tragic. I don't even want to talk about it," said Chanel, who has "a lot of new music" coming out this summer and is working on a new TV show that's under wraps. "It's really sad."

Chanel also confirmed reports that MTV is "trying to put something together" to honor Boykin this year. "They are just trying to figure it out with everybody's schedules, between our other shows and stuff," Chanel said. "But I think we're working on putting together a special for him."

Since Boykin's death, many of his MTV co-stars—including skateboarder Rob Dyrdek—have paid tribute to the star via social media. His ex-wife, Shannon Turley, tweeted that she was "heartbroken" over his death, adding, "He's everything to me and Isis and we will miss him."

Turley said Boykin suffered from congenital heart failure and doctors had told him he would need a heart transplant. Boykin had been hospitalized several times in the past year, she added.

Boykin's manager revealed earlier this week that he had planned to re-launch his Big Black clothing line. The company is now considering a small launch to benefit his 9-year-old daughter.