DJ Dan cause of death: What happened to Daniel Wherret? Details on EDM producer’s passing emerge
Update: A representative of DJ Dan, whose real name was Daniel Wherret, confirmed to Billboard that the EDM producer has passed away. A cause of death was not revealed in the statement. He was around 57.
“It is with profound sorrow, deep admiration, and an enduring sense of gratitude and love that we announce the passing of Daniel Wherrett — known professionally to the world simply as DJ Dan — one of the most beloved, genre-defying, and genuinely influential pioneers in the history of American electronic music,” the statement read.
“He leaves behind not just a discography, but a culture — a way of feeling music that touched millions of souls across four decades and five continents. He often said he felt his purpose in life was ‘to heal through music.’”
Original story: DJ Dan, whose real name was Dan Wherret, has passed away, according to multiple reports in the EDM music community in the US. Though his family has not released a statement, DJ Dan’s friends and acquaintances have been posting on social media about his death.
According to Steve Gloria, a prominent DJ who referred to DJ Dan as a “brother,” wrote on Facebook with a photo of him with DJ Dan writing, “Crushed to see another loss of a great friend, brother, an OG fellow DJ.”
“I have no words. Just heartache. This one cuts deep,” Loria added.
As of now, no confirmation on the DJ and EDM producer’s cause of death has emerged. A lot of claims are doing the rounds on social media about him, which are all unverified.
DJ Dan built his music career on the West Coast electronic music scene, especially in Los Angeles. Mike Franconi, a fellow DJ from Hawaii who was DJ Dan’s friend, paid tribute to the latter on social media with a heartfelt posts and photos of them together.
“We were supposed to close out LIB together May 20th. I love you fish. RIL DJ Dan,” wrote Franconi on Facebook.
“In 1999, I had this CD and I played this track on repeat as well after destroying a DJ Dan mix tape from playing it so much, because it had this track,” one fan wrote on X, sharing the video of DJ Dan’s ‘That Zipper Track’. “RIP DJ DAN.”
Who Was DJ Dan?
DJ Dan was a key figure in the West Coast house music since the late 1980s rave scene. He started in Seattle clubs, moved to Los Angeles for underground events like No-Doz, then San Francisco in 1993, where he formed the influential Funky Tekno Tribe collective.
DJ Dan released albums like Beats 4 Freaks (1998), Funk the System (1999), and Future Retro (2010). He also produced remixes for artists such as Depeche Mode, New Order, Lady Gaga, and Janet Jackson. He then founded InStereo Recordings which headlined global festivals like EDC and Ultra.
DJ Dan grew up in Olympia, Washington. He moved to Seattle, living in the city from 1988 to 1990. It was in Seattle that he first came across the genre of Electronic Dance Music, an influence under which he would then go on to make his entire career.
This story is being updated.
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