Gang Starr’s DJ Premier has refused to comment on a letter apparently written by his partner Guru from his deathbed.

Guru, who along with the DJ helped shape hip-hop in the late 1980s, died on Monday following a battle with cancer.

In the letter, which was attributed to the late MC, he appeared to distance himself from DJ Premier, saying that he wanted “nothing to do with him in death”.

However, many observers, including Guru’s own family, have cast doubt over the validity of the letter.

In a message on his blog, DJ Premier called Guru’s death a “sad day”, and said he would still call the MC his “brother”, even though the pair had not worked together since 2004.

Addressing the letter, he said: "All I will say about it is that our time together was beautiful, we built a hip-hop legacy together, and no one can re-write history or take away my love for him.

“One thing I would never do is play around with the truth about his life.”

Doubts over the letter have centred on Guru’s recent relationship with the producer, Solar.

The producer broke the new of Guru’s death and revealed that he had been privately battling cancer for over a year.

(by Jason Gregory)