Pimp C, one-half of UGK (Underground Kingz) and a pillar of the hip-hop community in Houston, was found dead this morning in a hotel room in Hollywood, his label confirmed. He was 33.

The rapper--real name Chad Butler--was found dead in his bed on the sixth floor of the Mondrian Hotel on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood. Los Angeles County Fire found the rapper dead after responding to a 911 call.

"We mourn the unexpected loss of Chad," Jive Records' president and CEO Barry Weiss said in a statement. "He was truly a thoughtful and kind-hearted person. He will be remembered for his talent and profound influence as a pioneer in bringing southern rap to the forefront. He will be missed and our prayers remain with his family and Bun B. I've known Chad since he was 18, and we loved him dearly, and he was a cherished member of the Jive family."

UGK has enjoyed a nearly two-decade career in hip-hop, starting in 1988 with the cassette-only The Southern Way. Pimp C met partner Bun B in high school, going on to release eight albums on Jive between 1992 and 2007.

UGK is perhaps best known for its collaboration with Jay-Z on the song "Big Pimpin'" in 2000 and more recently with Outkast on the song "International Player's Anthem (I Choose You)."

The group took a hit when Pimp C was sentenced to eight years in prison in 2002 for failing to complete community service following an assault charge. Bun B and the Houston rap community rallied behind Pimp C, making "Free Pimp C" T-shirts.

Pimp C was released from prison on December 30, 2005 after serving half of his sentence. He had released a steady stream of solo material from jail and put out a solo album, Pimpalation, in 2006.

But the rapper's mental and physical health reportedly suffered substantially while in jail, and he had been unable to heavily promote Underground Kingz, the group's latest, when it was released in August.

Despite that, Underground Kingz debuted atop The Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 160,000 copies in the US. It was UGK's best sales week ever.

Pimp C performed a show three days ago with label mate Too Short at the House of Blues in Los Angeles.

Jive said that Bun B was unavailable for comment.