Chicago and the world was dealt a great blow Monday night as it came across the newswire that the great Frankie Knuckles had passed. The 59-year-old DJ essentially put House music on the map, so-called today because of his sets spinning the genre at the well-known Warehouse club.

The ‘Godfather of House’ passed away early Monday from what some outlets are reporting as complications from diabetes. A true pioneer for House music, there has been an outpouring of sentiment for The Bronx native who migrated west to Chicago in the late ’70s. In 2004 a stretch of Jefferson Street near the historic club where it all began was named in his honor.

Rising to prominence on the popularity of his live sets, Knuckles made a splash in the music world by working with the likes of Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Depeche Mode and more. His 1991 album, Beyond The Mix, containing the hits “The Whistle Song,” “Rainfalls” and “Workout” was his most well-known release and helped set the stage for volumes of re-workings of his famed house sound.

Artists from across the music landscape reached out to say something about the late DJ on Twitter and beyond.

Read more: http://smokingsection.uproxx.com/TSS/2014/04/frankie-knuckles-dies-age-59#ixzz34G7wXfbc