AceShowbiz - The Latin music industry is mourning the loss of one of its members. Kevin Fret, who is known by many as the first openly gay Latin trap artist, was fatally shot and killed in San Juan, Puerto Rico in the early hours of Thursday, January 10. He was 24.

According to Puerto Rican newspaper El Nuevo Dia, Fret was riding on a motorcycle in the Santurce neighborhood at about 5:30 A.M. when he was shot eight times. He was then taken to the Rio Piedras Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. Motive and suspects in his killing were not revealed by police, who are still investigating. His death is the 22nd homicide in Puerto Rico in 2019, part of what local officials call a "crisis of violence."

Fret's manager, Eduardo Rodrigues, confirmed the death of his client through an official press statement. "Kevin was an artistic soul, a big-hearted dreamer. His passion was music, and still had a lot to do. This violence must stop. There are no words that describe the feeling we have and the pain that causes us to know that a person with so many dreams has to go," he said. "We must all unite in these difficult times, and ask for much peace for our beloved Puerto Rico."

An outspoken advocate for the LGBTQ community, Fret first stepped into the Latin music word in early 2018 with "Soy Asi", a song that highlighted his fierce personality. The music video has garnered more than a half million views on YouTube.

In a previous interview with Rapeton, Fret revealed his objective as an openly gay Latin trap artist was to mark the difference in the game and open the doors to other artists in the LGBTQ community. He added in an interview with PEOPLE, "I'm a person that doesn't care what anybody has to say. [Now I see] young gay guys or young lesbians that are looking at me now like a role model, like wow, if he did it, and he don't care what anybody else has to say, I can do it."