Witnesses told police that Proof (real name: Deshaun Holton, 32) shot Bender--who reportedly was still alive after being taken off of life support Wednesday morning--following a Tuesday morning (4/11) argument afterhours at Detroit's CCC club. It was believed that Proof was shot and killed afterwards by one of Bender's companions.

The Detroit News reported that Bender, 35, a veteran of Operation Desert Storm, reportedly was at the club "with friends celebrating news that the heart condition that forced his retirement from the service had improved."

Proof rose to prominence after multi-platinum rapper Eminem [ tickets ], a close friend and fellow Detroit native, signed D12 to a record deal and appeared on the group's 2001 debut album. That disc, "Devil's Night," sold 4 million copies worldwide, and spawned the hit "Purple Pills."

Prior to his success with D12, Proof (a.k.a. Big Proof and Derty Harry) had already made a name for himself by winning The Source's 1999 Unsigned Hype award, and was widely considered Detroit's hip-hop "godfather."