Rapper DJ Unk died of a heart attack, his wife has revealed days after his death at age 43.
The attack killed him as he slept, his wife, Sherkita Long-Platt, told TMZ.
Long-Platt noted that her husband, whose given name was Anthony Platt, did not do drugs, dispelling rumors his death was substance-related.
She revealed the news on Sunday, the same day family, friends and fans honored him at a vigil and balloon release in Atlanta’s Central Park. They remembered him for his charity and kindness as well as his artistry, as WXIA-TV reported.
DJ Unk had had a heart attack in 2009 when he was just 27, he told hip-hop news website XXL in a 2010 interview. The “Walk it Out” and “2 Step” rapper attributed that to bad eating habits and running himself into the ground with a punishing tour schedule.
“I constantly be on the go, I constantly be on airplanes, in different weather and you know it just took a toll on me,” he told the outlet. “It was stress.”
Unk said the experience had inspired him to modify his habits. On Friday Long-Platt broke the devastating news, posting on Facebook that she had “just lost my husband and my kids just lost their father.”
His recording label, Big Oomp Records, paid tribute with an Instagram post encouraging people to shower virtual flowers on a post from website Atlanta Culture, which called DJ Unk an artist whose work “brought energy that defined an era.”
“Today, we celebrate the life and legacy of DJ Unk,” Big Oomp said. “Put your flowers in the comments as we honor his impact on Atlanta and beyond.”
Unk was known for his “Beat’n Down Yo Block” debut album, which hit No. 21 on the 2006 Billboard R&B and Hip-Hop chart. “Walk It Out” took the nation by dance storm, and “2 Step” went gold.
That debut album “didn’t just give us hits, they gave us culture,” Atlanta Culture said in its post honoring the fallen rapper. “From club floors to block parties, his music made everyone move.”
