The house music scene has suffered a great loss. Iconic DJ and producer Frankie Knuckles has sadly passed away on March 31 2014 due to complications of Type II diabetes. Known as the “Godfather of House”, Knuckles is credited as being one of the most important and influential figures in the scene.

Born January 18th, 1955 in the Bronx, New York, Frankie Knuckles began DJing in disco and soul in the 1970s along with New York club fixture Larry Levan. By the late 70s Knuckles had relocated to Chicago, where we would eventually hold residency at the legendary Warehouse night club, the birth place of house music. Initially the attendees of the Warehouse were gay black and Latino males but later grew to attract a diverse mixture of people of all classes, nationalities and sexual orientation. A few years later he left the Warehouse to go play at the Power Plant until 1987. Although initially playing classic soul, disco and R&B, Knuckles helped to foster in a batch of young Chicago producers and artists such as Jamie Principle. Using the drum machine as the heartbeat, many local producers created a somewhat minimal sound, yet transcended to a sophisticated style, adapting elements of classic disco and soul. Along with pioneering Chicago DJs and acts such as Ron Hardy, Marshall Jefferson, Steve “Silk” Hurley, Larry Heard, Robert Owens, Phuture and more, the genre known as house would grow to become a worldwide phenomenon.

As a producer Frankie Knuckles is responsible for creating classic house records including “Tears” featuring Robert Owens, “Your Love”, “The Whistle Song” and more. His remix discography includes work for Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Will Downing, Pet Shop Boys, Adeva, Melba Moore, as well as an extensive list of other high profile and underground artists.

In 2004, the city of Chicago declared August 25 Frankie Knuckles Day, as well as named a street after Knuckles where the Warehouse nightclub once stood.

Frankie Knuckles was 59 at the time of his death. He passed away in Chicago.