ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - Kurdish-German rapper Giwar Hajabi, better known by his stage name Xatar, was found dead in a Cologne apartment on Thursday evening at the age of 43.

The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear, and German authorities have launched a probe into the incident, according to local media.

The public prosecutor's office told German media that the investigation aims to reveal whether there is any evidence of “criminally relevant third-party negligence” in the musician's death. The authorities said they found "no external signs of violence” after conducting an autopsy.

In addition to being a hip-hop star, Xatar was also an entrepreneur, publisher, and music producer. He released his first album in 2008. His 2015 album, Baba aller Babas, reached number one in the German charts after selling more than 70,000 copies.

Born to Kurdish asylum seekers, Xatar has had few run-ins with the law over the years. In 2009, he and several accomplices robbed a gold transport truck, stealing over €1.7 million and fleeing to Iraq. He was extradited to Germany a year later and sentenced to eight years in prison. He was released three years later.

The Iranian-born hip hop artist had cultivated a large following in Germany and among Kurds across the world. His life story was adapted into a film by Turkish-German filmmaker titled Rhinegold, released in 2022.