Larry might also have been bitter after Roger fired him as manager of his music career, a position Larry had held for several years. Larry had been experiencing increasingly severe financial problems managing the family-run housing company, Troutman Enterprises, which eventually filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy owing $400,000 in tax. There were no witnesses at the time, and Larry's motive for the murder of Roger remains unclear. Larry's body was found in a car a short distance away from the murder scene. Roger was taken to Good Samaritan Hospital, but died shortly after. Roger was shot several times in the torso by Larry as he exited a recording studio in Dayton, Ohio. On Sunday morning, April 25, 1999, Roger Troutman was fatally wounded as a result of an apparent murder-suicide that was orchestrated by his older brother, Larry. An American lead singer of the band Zapp who helped spearhead the Funk movement and heavily influenced West Coast hip hop due to the scenes heavy sampling of. Zapp reformed briefly in 2003 with the remaining brothers of the Troutman family to produce the album Zapp VI: Back By Popular Demand. The band disbanded in 1999 after the deaths of Roger and Larry Troutman in a murder-suicide apparently carried out by Larry. In the 1990s, Zapp would also be an influence on the G-funk sound of popular in West Coast hip-hop. The group’s follow-up Zapp II was released in 1982, selling well and becoming certified gold. Zapp released its eponymous debut album in 1980, and achieved mainstream recognition from the single 'More Bounce to the Ounce'. Zapp is an American funk band that emerged from Dayton, Ohio, United States, in 1977.

Zapp also worked closely with George Clinton and Bootsy Collins of Parliament-Funkadelic during its early stages, their support being a factor in the group gaining a record deal with Warner Bros. The synth-based sound also served Troutman well on the. Zapp's 1983 near-classic 'Heartbreaker 1 and 2' still amazes with its minimal, lean sound. The original line-up consisted of four Troutman brothers frontman Roger, Larry, Lester and Terry and non-Troutman family members Bobby Glover, Gregory Jackson, Sherman Fleetwood, Jerome Derrickson, Eddie Barber and Jannetta Boyce. Tracks from Roger Troutman's solo debut, like the great 'Do It Roger' and a cover of 'Heard It Through the Grapevine,' seemed to sap the strength from the Zapp name, although the band was on them too. Particularly influential in the electro subgenre of funk, Zapp were known for their trademark use of the talk-box effect. Zapp & Roger (also known as the Zapp Band or Zapp) is an American funk band that emerged from Dayton, Ohio, in 1977.

Roger and zapp band