As previously reported by REVOLT, today (April 18), the world learned of the untimely death of DJ Kay Slay. New York radio station HOT 97 broke the news that DJ Kay Slay — whose real name is Keith Grayson — had passed away.

While the news of Grayson’s death continues to spread, shocked fans have flooded social media to join in remembering his legacy.

Radio host Peter Rosenberg, who worked with Grayson at Hot 97, spoke of how working with the icon made him “proud.”

“Woke up to the awful news that we lost DJ Kay Slay. The man was the human embodiment of hip hop. Graf legend, DJ legend, mixtape legend so unique, so iconic … when I first got to @hot97–working with Slay was one of the things that made me so proud to be here .. RIP… , “ Rosenberg tweeted.

A commenter replied by stating that the news was a horrible way to start the new week before adding, “This guy will never know the impact his ‘intros’ had on a mid-2000s suburban NJ high school football locker room. We might have played this 30x a week from May-December in the weight room. RIP.”

From his graffiti art as “Dez” to his days on the turntables, Grayson defined hip hop. “The Drama King” put out hundreds of mixtapes throughout his career and has worked with the biggest names in hip hop including Fat Joe, Jay-Z, 50 Cent, Jadakiss and countless others.

In 1983 the New York native was featured in the documentary Style Wars. The film highlighted the growing subculture of hip hop in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s with a focus on graffiti and breakdancing. Many credit Grayson as a true hip hop icon that has always been for the culture.

Grayson passed away on April 17 following a battle with COVID-19. He was 55.