Lee Collins started DJing at 13 and was active in Chicago during the nascent years of house music.
Lee Collins — a champion of Chicago house music whose career dates back to the genre’s very origins — has passed away following a struggle with cancer.
The news broke on Sunday, August 24, courtesy of Sadar Bahar, who co-founded the record label and event brand Soul In The Hole alongside Collins. “With great sadness and a heavy heart, we mourn the loss of a King and legendary pioneer in the House and Disco family, Lee Collins,” Bahar wrote on Instagram. “Take your rest, Big Bro. I thank the Most High for the time we were blessed to share with you. Job well done! We love you, and we’ll see you at the resurrection.”
Lee Collins started DJing at age 13 and was involved with the early ’80s dance music trends that would eventually coalesce into house music. His mentors included seminal figures like Frankie Knuckles, Ron Hardy, and Robert Owens.
In 1983, Collins founded a college radio show called Disco Madness that, by many accounts, grew nearly as popular as WBMX‘s Hot Mix Five. Its popularity afforded Collins opportunities to play at esteemed clubs like Music Box, and he would go on to perform internationally in the years that followed. Collins cut his first track, “Thrill Me,” in 1991, and he and Bahar co-founded Soul In The Hole shortly thereafter.
In January, Bahar and Sounds Familiar Founder Ornella Ciccetti launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover the costs associated with his cancer treatment. “Let’s come together as a community to support Lee and help him get back on the road where he belongs,” reads part of its description.
We here at EDM Identity express our sincere condolences to the family and loved ones of Lee Collins during what can only be a difficult time.
