Proof

DeShaun Dupree Holton (October 2, 1973 – April 11, 2006), also known as Proof was an American rapper and actor from Detroit, Michigan. He was a member of the groups 5 Elementz and D12 during his career. He was a childhood friend of Eminem, who also grew up in Detroit. Proof was a frequent hype man at Eminem's concerts, and he portrayed Lil' Tic in the film 8 Mile.

Carrer
Holton was first known as Maximum, and then as "Proof". In 1995, he formed D12 with his friends, Eminem, Bizarre, Mr. Porter, and Eye-Kyu, a high school friend. His first television appearance was in Aaliyah's "Ain't Nothing But a Number" video. Proof joined Eminem, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Snoop Dogg on the Up In Smoke Tour in 2000. D12's debut album, Devil's Night, was released in 2001, giving him even more exposure.

Death
After a game of billiards turned into an argument, Mario Etheridge shot and killed Proof on April 11th, 2006. Mario Etheridge was found guilty of illegally carrying a firearm and discharging it inside a building. His friend, Reginald "Mudd" Moore, who was with him at the nightclub where he was killed, told XXL magazine a different story about what happened that night. Proof is not portrayed as the instigator or a cold-blooded killer in Mudd's version of events. Proof's blood alcohol content was four times the legal DUI limit at the time of his death.

The song "You Will Make It" was dedicated to their friend DeShaun 'Proof' Holton by Eminem and Jem. In 2009, the Welsh singer/songwriter revealed that she wrote the song the day after the murder of her friend. Eminem eulogized his friend with the unreleased track "Difficult", that was leaked to the public in 2010. Proof was also mentioned by Eminem in the songs "Stepping Stone" and "Venom" from the 2018 album Kamikaze.