American music producer and techno pioneer, Juan Atkins, has died at the age of 64.
Atkins was reportedly found unresponsive in his hotel room in Mexico City, where he was scheduled to perform.
He was subsequently taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to his agency, Greensmith Artists, which confirmed the incident to music magazine Resident Advisor.
The agency paid tribute to the late musician in an Instagram post, sharing a video of one of his previous performances at a London nightclub.
“So many years. So many stages. So many moments we’ll never forget. And somehow, we always thought there would be more,” the agency wrote.
Atkins began his music career in 1980 after establishing the electronic music group Cybotron alongside Richard Davis.
The duo released the track “Clear” in 1983, which later became a landmark record in the development of techno music.
Born in 1962, Atkins was part of the influential group known as the “Belleville Three,” alongside fellow Detroit musicians Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May.
The trio is widely credited with pioneering the techno music genre.
Atkins was also credited with popularising the term “techno” through his 1988 track “Techno Music,” which featured on the compilation album “Techno! The New Dance Sound Of Detroit.”
Saunderson paid tribute to his longtime associate, describing him as a visionary whose influence shaped the genre and inspired generations of musicians.
“Juan was the originator of Techno, a true visionary who opened the door for so many of us, myself included,” Saunderson said in a tribute on Facebook.
