Get unlimited access to everything VICE has to offer.

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

Turn off all ads on VICE.com

Exclusive New VICE Documentaries

Member Exclusive Features & Columns

4 Magazines Delivered to Your Door

DJ Dan, West Coast House Music Icon, Dead at 57

No cause of death has been reported.

By Stephen Andrew Galiher

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

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

RIP DJ Dan. 🙏🏽🎶 A superbly nice person, fortunate to have known him and call him a friend. pic.twitter.com/tIAmkR53Kz

“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.

Share on X (Opens in new window)X

Share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Facebook

Share using Native toolsShareCopied to clipboard

DJ Dan (Photo by C Flanigan/Getty Images) DJ Dan, West Coast House Music Icon, Dead at 57 6 minutes ago By Stephen Andrew Galiher

DJ Dan, West Coast House Music Icon, Dead at 57

By Stephen Andrew Galiher

Screenshot: Embark Studios Arc Raiders Update 1.22.0 Adds Vaporizer Enemy, New Endgame Mode – Flashpoint Patch Notes 28 minutes ago By Brent Koepp

Arc Raiders Update 1.22.0 Adds Vaporizer Enemy, New Endgame Mode – Flashpoint Patch Notes

Illustration by Reesa. Daily Horoscope: March 31, 2026 8 hours ago By Ashley Fike

Daily Horoscope: March 31, 2026

WWE/Contributor/Getty Images John Cena Is Returning to WWE for WrestleMania 42. Here’s What We Know. 13 hours ago By Haley Miller

John Cena Is Returning to WWE for WrestleMania 42. Here’s What We Know.

Uma Shankar Sharma/Getty Images Cancer Patients Could Soon Be Prescribed Pig Semen Eye Drops 13 hours ago By Luis Prada

Cancer Patients Could Soon Be Prescribed Pig Semen Eye Drops

Francesco Carta Fotografo/Getty Images This Country Just Banned Social Media for Kids and Teens. Is Yours Next? 13 hours ago By Luis Prada

This Country Just Banned Social Media for Kids and Teens. Is Yours Next?

(Photo by Chris Walter/WireImage) Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler Once Revealed How They Got ‘Ripped Off’ (But Ozzy Had This Extra Advantage) 13 hours ago By Stephen Andrew Galiher

Black Sabbath’s Ozzy Osbourne and Geezer Butler Once Revealed How They Got ‘Ripped Off’ (But Ozzy Had This Extra Advantage)

By Stephen Andrew Galiher

413,793 KitKat Bars Stolen in Bizarre Candy Heist 14 hours ago By Luis Prada

413,793 KitKat Bars Stolen in Bizarre Candy Heist

Dmytro Betsenko/Getty Images The 6 Zodiac Sign Matches With the Most Intense Chemistry 14 hours ago By Ashley Fike

The 6 Zodiac Sign Matches With the Most Intense Chemistry

(Photo by Simone Joyner/Getty Images) Australian Wu Tang Fans Get Refunds After Half the Clan Doesn’t Show 14 hours ago By Nick Stockton

Australian Wu Tang Fans Get Refunds After Half the Clan Doesn’t Show

Kill the ads for just $2 a month

VICE membership also gives you access to our very best writing and exclusive new documentaries.

Add your account details

© Vice