XXXTentacion death: Riot police called to vigil for rapper after mourners pile onto roof

Riot police were called to a vigil for dead rapper XXXTentacion after it became overcrowded and mourners piled onto the roof of a moving car.

Some 500 people held an impromptu vigil in Florida after the 20-year-old was shot dead as he left an upmarket motorcycle dealership in his BMW on Monday.

Huge crowds of grieving fans descended on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue on Tuesday night.

Police initially sealed off the streets to allow revellers to dance and pay tribute to the rapper who is believed to have been killed during a suspected robbery.

But officers were forced to ask the swelling crowd to leave as the vigil turned rowdy.

Video shared on social media showed crowds of mourners ride on the roof of a car along the road and people leaping from the top of buildings into huge crowds.

Others showed police in riot gear moving on hundreds of mourners.

One fan told ABC news: "It was really good. Everybody seemed happy and positive and singing along and everything like that. Then it just got way overcrowded.”

Fans also left floral tributes, teddies and candles in a huge display of emotion at the spot where XXXTentacion, real name Jahseh Onfroy, was found injured near Deerfield Beach, Florida.

He was rushed to hospital but later pronounced dead.

Myles O'Hara, 17, and Aaron Gavin, 20, held a quiet tribute to the hiphop star.

"He had some legal allegations before, but the last year he had only been a positive influence on people's lives, making hit Billboard songs," Mr O'Hara said.

“He has been a kind person. You could look at his face and smile and he was just a normal kid like us ... His style is almost hard to explain. He had an angry tone. He meant everything he said, even the most simplistic words. It just came off his tongue like nothing. He was speaking his mind."

The young artist was often described as one of rap's most controversial stars and was facing domestic violence charges.

In a statement released on Twitter, the Broward Sheriff's Office said: "The adult male that was taken to the hospital has been pronounced dead.

"The adult male victim has been confirmed as 20-year-old Jahseh Onfroy aka rapper XXXTentacion."

Police had said they had been called to the scene of a shooting in Deerfield Beach.

They received a call at 3.57pm local time.

XXXTentacion's short career was overshadowed by alleged incidents of domestic violence and at the time of his death he was facing 15 felony charges.

They included counts of false imprisonment, aggravated battery of a pregnant woman and domestic battery by strangulation, for alleged incidents involving his ex-girlfriend in 2016.

XXXTentacion, from Florida, released two studio albums, 17 and ?, with the latter reaching number one on the Billboard 200 chart in March.

In May, he was one of the artists temporally banned from Spotify's in-house playlists due to its policy of not promoting artists with a history of alleged hateful conduct.