CHICAGO — DJ Timbuck2, a prominent member of Chicago's hip-hop scene, died Saturday morning of cancer-related complications, friends and colleagues said. He was 34.
Timbuck2, whose given name was Timothy Jones, was an alum of Gordon Tech High School, now DePaul College Prep. Known for playing music from local hip-hop artists, he had a set every day on 107.5 FM's WGCI during the 5 p.m. hour.
The Bucktown native who grew up near Armitage and Damen often spent his time in Hyde Park, a neighborhood once known as the epicenter of the South Side hip-hop scene.
He learned his craft under Grammy-nominated producer and songwriter The Twilite Tone.
One friend said he battled cancer for at least a year. Andrew Barber of hip-hop blog Fake Shore Drive wrote in a tribute post that Timbuck2 faced a "lengthy" battle. It was unclear what type of cancer he had.
Fans took to Twitter to offer their condolences once they heard the news:
Let's not forget, @DJTIMBUCK2 was in @TheSource when he was like 16. Shout out Monop, Don C and @TheTwiliteTone pic.twitter.com/hRvQg1FnoA
— Andrew Barber (@fakeshoredrive) December 19, 2015I have so many found memories and stories about @DJTIMBUCK2. He embraced me when I got my big break @wgci and showed me the ropes of radio.
— DJ MoonDawg (@DJMoonDawg) December 19, 2015Our hearts are very heavy today... RIP to our brother @DJTIMBUCK2
— WGCI (@WGCI) December 19, 2015Alberto Mejia, known as DJ Alo from the hip-hop/reggae collective The Dread, said he was shocked when he heard the news of Timbuck2's passing.
"Lots of our music community was close with him. He was a true school hip-hop DJ who followed his dreams and made it happen," Mejia said. "He had so much respect and talent. Always pushed it to the next level. We all looked up to him [back] in the day and in the present."
Timbuck2, who played music at local venues past and present such as Slick's Lounge, The Shrine and Beauty Bar, was a staple of the DJ scene.
Logan Square resident Justin Gillespie considered Timbuck2 to be a Chicago "legend."
"Dude played the soundtrack to my mid 20s. I remember always anticipating the Jay Z mix that he would do on those Friday nights at Le Passage. Nobody did that better than him," Gillespie said. "We weren't necessarily friends but I always appreciated that he was approachable and a cool dude."
Music producer David "Prolyfic" Ewing Jr., who made music for Chicago artists such as Lupe Fiasco and Jeremih, met Timbuck2 at a young age.
"Tim was my friend. I've known Tim for most of my life," Ewing Jr. said. "We met when we were 16 years old. We would catch the train together. Once you got to know him, he was a great guy."
Ewing Jr. fought back tears to say that Timbuck2's passing has hit Chicago's hip-hop scene pretty hard.
"There's a science to DJing and he was great at it," Ewing Jr. said. "You telling me that I will never see Timbuck2 spin again??"
Timbuck2 left is survived by his parents and an older brother.
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