5 Magazine reports that legend of Chicago House Frankie Knuckles has passed away. This has been corroborated on social media by Chicago house artists Paul Johnson and DJ Deeon, although we've yet to receive official confirmation.
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UPDATE (11:32 PM): DJ David Morales adds his name to the artists apparently confirming the news:
I am devastated to write that my dear friend Frankie Knuckles has passed away today. Can't write anymore than this at the moment. I'm sorry.
— David Morales (@DJDavidMorales) April 1, 2014If true, it's a major blow to one of the most important figures in modern music.
Knuckles was born in the Bronx in 1955, and became a disco DJ in the early 1970s, spinning with childhood friend and garage pioneer Larry Levan at the Continental Baths. In 1977, the Warehouse nightclub opened in Chicago, and Knuckles moved to the city to become its premier DJ. As legend has it, the music Knuckles would spin at "The Warehouse" became extremely popular among his regular clubgoers, who would then go to record stores to request "house" music—music spun at "The Warehouse."
What Knuckles would spin evolved into its own genre, as producers used drum machines to produce less expensive version of popular dance styles.
The Warehouse became the crucible of a genre that would conquer the world and can still be heard on radio stations to this day.
In 1983, Knuckles moved from The Warehouse to his own club, the Power Plant.
Knuckles also became a producer, recording iconic versions of Jamie Principle's "Your Love," "Baby Wants To Ride," and "Cold World." Other singles included 1991's elegaic teardrop anthem "The Whistle Song":
BY DAVID DRAKE | MAR 31, 2014 | Complex
Knuckles was, however, primarily known for his skills as a DJ. In 2004, the City of Chicago renamed a stretch of Jefferson Street near the site of the old Warehouse "The Godfather of House Music" Frankie Knuckles Way.
