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We have some tragic news to report from the music world.
DJ UNK (whose real name was Anthony Leonard Platt) has died at the age of 43.
News about the rapper’s passing off to us with the permission of his wife, Sherkita Long-Platt.
DJ UNK’s cause of death
“Respect me and my family. I just lost my husband and my kids just lost their father, ”Sherkita wrote on Facebook on Friday night.
“Our lives will never be the same. I love you Anthony forever, ”her post concluded.
Platt’s cause of death has not been revealed, but the hip hop legend has been open about his long struggle with various health problems.
“I had some medical problems that went from not eating the right food, and it just came from when I stopped taking care of myself. I had to get healthy not only for my sake, but also for my children and for my wife, ”Told Platt to XXL in 2010 (via USA Today).
“It comes from not training from not eating right. Basic man, I work hard every day. Everything I do every day I try to make something happen in my household, ”he continued.
“I’m constantly on the move, I’m constantly on a plane, in different weather, and you know it just took a toll on me. It was stress. “
It is unclear, at this time, if Platt’s passing was the result of these health problems.
An icon in his field
Platt is best known for its 2006 -hit “Walk It Out.”
The song rose to number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number two at Outlet’s Hip Hop and R&B diagram.
“Walk It Out” made UNK a household name among hip -hop fans. A later remix contained verses of Outkast and Jim Jones.
A follow -up single, “2 steps”, also priested well on the charts.
UNK continued to perform live until his last days, most recently took the stage at The Cona Fest in his native Atlanta last September.
Our thoughts go out to UNK’s loved ones in this enormous difficult time.