DJ Deeon, the pioneering Chicago DJ and producer of ghetto house, has died.
The news was confirmed earlier today (July 18) via a post on the late artist’s official Facebook page. "I’m sorry to announce the legendary artist, producer, DJ, label owner and my friend Deeon ‘DJ Deeon’ Boyd gained his wings today," it said. "The family thanks you for your support and will announce arrangements in the coming days. Thank you for your understanding."
While no cause of death was specified, Boyd had been suffering from well-publicised health issues such as diabetes and pneumonia in recent years. He had shared a photo of himself in hospital via Instagramlast Thursday (July 13).
Deeon’s music took inspiration from elements of Chicago house music, hip hop and Miami bass, with the combination defining the ghetto house sound that he helped pioneer in the ’90s alongside other key figures such as DJ Funk and DJ Milton. His first record, 1994’s Funk City, was released by Dance Mania and featured classics such as ‘Da Bomb’ and ‘House-O-Matic’.
Deeon released several further records with Dance Mania through the remainder of the ’90s, and continued to put out records until 2022. His music also came out on key electronic music labels such as Pro-Jex, Databass, Teklife and Numbers, the latter of whom released an EP of some of Deeon’s best ’90s works, such as ‘2 B Free’ and ‘Freak Like Me’.
