Eric Wright founded Ruthless Records in 1987 and co-founded N.W.A the same year, bankrolling the group's early records and stepping up as its frontman. His solo debut Eazy-Duz-It (1988) hit alongside N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton the following year, both now considered cornerstones of gangsta rap. Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS-related pneumonia in February 1995, he went public with his illness weeks before his death on March 26, 1995, at age 30. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2016 and awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2024, both as a member of N.W.A.
