US rapper XXXTentacion has died following a drive-by shooting in Florida.

The controversial rapper, who rose to fame following two hit albums, was gunned down in his car by an armed suspect.

The 20-year-old, whose real name is Jahseh Onfroy, was leaving a motorcycle dealership when he was approached by two armed suspects shortly before 4pm local time.

The county sheriff's office wrote in a statement that at least one suspect fired a gun which struck the rapper, before fleeing the scene in a dark-coloured SUV.

Police added that the shooting appeared to be a possible robbery.

According to the dispatch call, the suspects were described as two black males wearing hoodies, and the shooter was said to be wearing a red mask.

Witnesses at the scene allegedly told police that a Louis Vuitton bag had been taken from the hip-hop star's car.

XXXTentacion was rushed to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

In an unrelated incident on the same day, rising rap talent Jimmy Wopo, 21, was also shot dead in a drive-by shooting in Pittsburgh.

Jahseh Dwayne Onfroy, who adopted the stage name XXXTentacion, was was just 20 years old when he died.

The rapper had a difficult upbringing and took to expressing himself through music.

His rose to fame after his music gained traction on streaming website SoundCloud, before releasing two studio albums titled "17" and "?".

His latest album reached number one on the Billboard 200 chart in March.

XXXTentacion's music, which addressed subjects such as depression, suicide and heartbreak, received huge praise from many high-profile rap artists.

XXXTentacion's was considered to be one of the rap scene's most contentious artists, with his short career often eclipsed by allegations of domestic violence.

In 2016, he was arrested and charged with robbery and assault with a deadly weapon, and was facing 15 felony charges at the time of his death.

They included counts of false imprisonment, aggravated battery of a pregnant woman and domestic battery by strangulation for alleged incidents involving his ex-girlfriend.

Prosecuters had also accused him of witness tampering.

In May, he was one of the artists banned from Spotify's playlists under its now-reversed policy of not promoting artists who have a history of 'hateful conduct'.

Tributes have poured in from celebrities and rap artists remembering the hip-hop star.

Kanye West tweeted: "I never told you how much you inspired me when you were here."

Big Sean, J Cole and P Diddy also paid their respects.

England footballer Daniel Sturridge wrote to Twitter fans that it was a "sad day for music".

British documentary-maker Louis Theroux also paid tribute, said that "notwithstanding personal demons" he was a "huge talent".