(AURN News) — Juan Atkins, the pioneering Detroit musician widely credited with helping invent techno music, died at 64, The New York Times reported.
Atkins was found unresponsive in his hotel room in Mexico City on Oct. 31, ahead of a scheduled performance in the city. He was later pronounced dead at a hospital. His cause of death has not been announced.
Born in Detroit in 1962, Atkins helped transform electronic music by blending the futuristic sounds of Kraftwerk with the funk of George Clinton. Alongside Derrick May and Kevin Saunderson, he became part of the legendary Belleville Three, whose innovations helped establish Detroit as the birthplace of techno.
Atkins and Richard Davis released the groundbreaking 1983 track “Clear” as Cybotron. Missy Elliott later sampled it on “Lose Control.”
Atkins founded the Metroplex record label and released influential songs as Model 500, including “No UFO’s.” His music explored technology, surveillance and society, leaving an extraordinary legacy that reshaped dance floors around the globe.
