As news broke early Wednesday morning about the death of Phife Dawg, a founding member of A Tribe Called Quest, the reaction online was swift. Rappers, producers, and influential figures within hip-hop -- not to mention, of course, thousands and thousand of fans -- paid digital tribute to the late rapper, who was 45.

Though Tribe released their final album back in 1998, the continued influence and lasting legacy of the group and its members is undeniable, a fact made particularly clear in the wake of Phife's death: Mac Miller posted a tribute on Soundcloud; Macklemore spoke of how Phife and the group impacted his life; Bun B told a story of hanging with the rapper decades ago; Nicki Minaj mourned the loss.

At press time, no cause of death has been reported.

#HipHopPioneer #RIPPhifeDawg #QUEENS 1 LOVE 🙏🏽

A photo posted by Nicki Minaj (@nickiminaj) on Mar 23, 2016 at 1:17am PDT

Damn. At a loss for words. I remember meeting Phife in Houston in like 93. He was back and forth visiting a girl here. He popped up in High Rollers one night and nobody recognized him except me. We talked all night. He was a great spirit, an amazing artist, and a good person. Loves his sports. This pic is us discussing sports with @therapplife and @corymomusic in Austin @nicekicks #RIPPhifeDawg

A photo posted by Bun B (@trillog) on Mar 23, 2016 at 7:07am PDT

Ayo, Bo knows this.. & Bo knows that.. But Bo don't know jack... Cuz Bo can't rap! #RipPhifeDawg #OneOfMyFavoriteMCs

A photo posted by Fabolous (@myfabolouslife) on Mar 23, 2016 at 12:35am PDT

Bless up rest in peace 👑 🙏🏽

A photo posted by DJ KHALED (@djkhaled) on Mar 22, 2016 at 11:45pm PDT

I wanted to hang out with these guys so bad as a teenager. Now I count them among my friends. #RIPPHIFE we love you

A photo posted by Talib Kweli (@talibkweli) on Mar 23, 2016 at 6:36am PDT