Musician Frankie Knuckles, known as the Godfather of House music, has died unexpectedly, it has been announced.
A pioneer of house - the sparse, electronic dance music that emerged from Chicago in the 1980s - Knuckles was just 59.
He was known for remixing tracks by Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, as well as his own songs, such as Your Love and The Whistle Song.
His death was confirmed by fellow DJ David Morales on Twitter.
"I am devastated to write that my dear friend Frankie Knuckles has passed away today," he wrote. "Can't write anymore than this at the moment. I'm sorry."
Knuckles' longtime business partner, Frederick Dunson, told The Chicago Tribune he had "died unexpectedly this afternoon at home".
More details would be forthcoming on Tuesday, he added.
No reason has yet been given for his death but several music websites reported Knuckles had died of complications from Type 2 diabetes.
'Art form'
Born in the Bronx, Frankie Warren Knuckles Jr learned his craft in New York City, where he was mentored by club DJ Larry Levan.
"We would spend entire afternoons working up ideas on how to present a record so that people would hear it in a new way and fall in love with it," Knuckles later recalled. "To us it was an art form."
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