Beloved hip-hop DJ Timothy “Buc Wild” Joseph, who was a co-host of Hot 97’s Star & Buc Wild show, has passed away. He was 47. In addition to his radio career, Buc Wild also contributed to the iconic rap culture magazine, The Source.
Buc Wild’s death was announced by his longtime friend—and Star & Buc Wild co-host—Star, who shared the sad news during a livestream on YouTube. Speaking fondly of his former co-host, Star shared that Buc Wild was always “like a son” to him. He also speculated on Buc’s cause of death, which is presently unconfirmed.
“He passed away Sunday,” Star said on September 9, 2026, per Complex. “Possibly fentanyl; I don’t have a confirmation yet. However, Timothy Joseph aka Buc Wild, was loved. He had a support system. He and I were always in contact, but [sometimes] it was tough to get a hold of him.”
Star went on to say that Buc Wild had “few children,” and described the mother of the late DJ’s son as “such a beautiful human being.” Finally, Star added, “He was a likable guy… Buc could smoke weed with the KKK white supremacists; he didn’t give a f**k. If you had [weed] you had a friend.”
Other hip-hop industry peers have been sharing memorials to Buc Wild
Some of Buc Wild’s hip-hop industry peers have shared memorials to the late radio personality. Over on X/Twitter, rapper Vinnie Paz offered an “RIP” message.
“Star & Buc actually changed the temperature of hip-hop,” Paz wrote. “Not polite; Not safe; Not trying to be everybody’s favorite. Just loud, smart, and unforgettable. Buc was my age, so to see him (as a teenager) write those rants in the back of The Source was surreal to me. Most of them were about his love of T-Boz. Son was like a unicorn to me.”
“People talk about ‘culture’ now like it’s content,” he added. “Those brothers were culture when it was still coming out the speakers every morning. If you were around for that run, you know. If you weren’t, go look it up before the history gets flattened. Rest easy, king.”
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