Highly influential house music producer and DJ Dan has died at the age of 57. No cause of death has been revealed, reports Billboard.
“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,” reads a statement shared on social media.
RIP DJ Dan.
 A superbly nice person, fortunate to have known him and call him a friend. pic.twitter.com/tIAmkR53Kz
— Mark Farina (@djmarkfarina) March 30, 2026
“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.’”
Born Daniel Wherrett in Washington in 1968, DJ Dan grew up in and around Seattle, according to AllMusic. This is where his love of electronic music began to develop. He eventually moved to San Francisco and kick-started his career by doing live DJing, putting together mix CDs, and building his production repertoire.
Along with his impressive solo career, DJ Dan also did notable remixes of songs by artists like Lady Gaga, New Order, Orgy, and Paris Hilton.
Over his 30+ year career, DJ Dan released numerous singles and three studio albums.
Billboard reported that DJ Dan had a show scheduled for Saturday night (March 28) at the Dead Ringer club in Reno, Nevada. The outlet added that an unnamed individual close to the situation told them that DJ Dan had not responded to messages for roughly two days prior to his death.
“Those who knew Dan personally knew a man who saw music in colors,” the death announcement from DJ Dan’s reps continued. “Disco was orange; techno was blue and brown; progressive sounds were a cool, deep blue.”
“He described his DJ sets as ‘peaks and valleys of energy through color’ — and that synesthetic vision translated into something audiences felt in their bodies long before they understood it with their minds,” the statement added. “He credited his inspiration to James Brown, his parents, and ‘all the underdogs who fought their way to success in life.’”
Click here to see the full official statement on DJ Dan’s death.
The post DJ Dan, West Coast House Music Icon, Dead at 57 appeared first on VICE.
