DJ Kay Slay Dead At 55 After Months-Long COVID Battle: 'Our Hearts Are Broken'
18.04.2022 - 21:51
/ perezhilton.com
World-famous hip-hop DJ and radio personality DJ Kay Slay has passed.
According to media reports, the recording artist and music producer — whose real name was Keith Grayson — passed away late Sunday night after a four-month-long battle with COVID-19. He was 55 years old.
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The news of his death was confirmed by his family, as well as by Hot 97, the New York-based radio station for which he’d long hosted a very popular show. In the statement released by the Graysons, obtained by People, the late DJ’s loved ones relayed the sad news of his passing and mourned his loss from this world:
So sad.
DJ Kay Slay released his first album, The Streetsweeper, Volume 1, in 2003. He produced several other studio albums in the years since, including his most recent work, The Soul Controller, in 2021.
According to Fader, he released “over 500 bootleg mixtapes” beginning in 1993, when he would sell them on street corners in NYC’s West Village. Over the years, his work had grown to feature artists like Eminem, 50-Cent, and JAY-Z, and he came to be well-known outside his New York City home base.
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In addition to his own personal achievements in the music biz, the popular DJ was also known as “The Drama King” for his 20 years of work hosting The Drama Hour on Hot 97.
The station related their own statement mourning the “cultural icon,” remembering his impact on listeners:
Just awful. Truly, gone far too soon.
Our hearts go out to his friends, family, and loved ones.
R.I.P.
[Image via DJ Kay Slay/Instagram]
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