Rapper Proof Slain in Detroit Nightclub

Proof, a member of rap group D12 and a close friend of Eminem, was shot to death early Tuesday at a nightclub along Eight Mile, the road made famous by the 2002 film that starred Eminem and in which Proof had a bit part.

Proof, whose real name is Deshaun Holton, was one of two people shot in the head after an argument escalated into gunfire, said Detroit police spokesman James Tate.

The other person — a 35-year-old man — was critically wounded, Tate said.

Plans for a memorial service were incomplete, said Dennis Dennehy, publicist for D12's label, Interscope Records.

"His friends and family would appreciate privacy during this difficult time," Dennehy said in a statement.

D12, whose members include Eminem, has been around since the mid-1990s, when members of the rap group met at Detroit's Hip-Hop Shop, a clothing store by day and a hip-hop club by night.

Proof was the best man at Eminem's wedding in January and often appeared alongside the superstar rapper at concerts and public appearances.

The two men were shot inside the C.C.C. nightclub, a small bar in a strip of businesses along Eight Mile, which divides Detroit and its northern suburbs, Tate said.

Wende Berry, a spokeswoman for St. John Health System, said Holton was dead on arrival at St. John Conner Creek, an outpatient treatment facility.

In December, another member of Eminem's inner circle — rapper Obie Trice — was shot while driving on a Detroit-area highway.