Beloved DJ Dead at 54: DJ Funk’s Death Confirmed by Peer

Chicago-born ghetto house pioneer DJ Funk has died. His close friend and frequent collaborator DJ Slugo confirmed his death in an Instagram post Wednesday. The beloved DJ, real name Charles Chambers, was 54.

“I didn’t wanna say nothing myself until I officially got the word from his family, I had seen a lot of people post and a lot of people with misinformation,” Slugo said. “DJ Funk has passed.”

Although Slugo did not disclose the DJ’s cause of death, a fundraiser launched by his family earlier in the week to help cover funeral expenses revealed the artist had been “bravely battling stage 4 cancer.” The page added that at the time, he didn’t “have much longer left” and was “facing the heartbreaking reality of planning for his final farewell.” The GoFundMe, which described DJ Funk as “a talented artist who has brought so much joy and inspiration to so many through his music.” Has raised over $32,000 as of publishing time.

Born Charles Chambers in Chicago in 1971, Funk began his career in dance music during the late 1980s, gaining attention with releases on labels like Dance Mania and Pro-Jex, according to The Needle Drop. Under the alias DJ Funk, he went on to pioneer the ghetto house subgenre by combining Miami bass, house and hip-hop into a new sound, per Resident Advisor.

Speaking to ed Bull’s Music Academy in 2015 about developing his style, Funk said, “I just decided that I just needed to be more real and more like myself. I decided, if I go one route, I’m a sound like everybody else. If I take it this route and make something like ‘P–y Ride,’ that’s something that’ll shock a mother–r.”

His 1999 album Booty House Anthems sold a reported one million copies across the US, and was followed by 2006’s Booty House Anthems 2 and 2013’s Booty House Anthems 3. In 2006, after producing a remix for Justice, he launched his own label, Funk Records, releasing solo mixtapes, singles, and compilations featuring Jeff Mills, Deeon, Houz’mon, and more.

News of his passing sparked a wave of tributes from those in the industry. DJ Bad Boy Bill said he was “heartbroken,” adding that Funk was “one of the best producers and DJs out of Chicago, his energy and iconic vocals could light up any dance floor.” DJ Jubilee said Funk “introduced me to house music… Def would have never been a dj w/o his influence.”