BET CEO Debra Lee's Son DJ Quinn Coleman Dies At 31

Quinn Coleman, also known as “DJ Spicoli,” died suddenly on Sunday of unknown causes at age 31.

He is survived by his father, Randy Coleman, and mother, Debra Lee, the former CEO of BET.

“Quinn was a loving son, brother, cousin and friend, a passionate DJ and A&R executive with a bright future ahead of him,” a rep for Lee told Variety on Monday. “Debra and her family are devastated by Quinn’s passing and ask for privacy and respect as they grieve together.”

Since May 2018, Coleman worked as an A&R executive at Capitol Records. He was also one of the founders of Washington, DC’s hip-hop and electronic music festival Trillectro.

Basstracks, whom he signed to Capitol, shared on Twitter that they were “heartbroken” by Coleman’s passing.

“Quinn’s positivity and passion was infectious, he made everyone around him feel good and always felt more like a friend than an A&R,” the R&B group said in a statement. “He truly believed in us and worked so hard on this project with us. We were the first act he signed to Capitol and we were so proud to work with him. Quinn was family.”

They also dedicated their debut album, due out Aug. 21, to Coleman.

Several other members of the music industry also spoke out online about the music executive’s untimely death.

“Quinn Coleman is a legend in this cultural thing that we all live in,” Cory Townes, son of DJ Jazzy Jeff, tweeted. “The genius, the talent, the personality. He’s one of the great ones. He gave us so much and I know he was gonna give us so much more. I hope God has you covered, my brother. Please watch over us all. Love you.”

Record producer Kenny Beats wrote, “RIP QUINN COLEMAN A LEGENDARY PERSON, DJ, A&R, FRIEND, AND BROTHER LOVE YOU FOREVER DUDE CHECK ON YOUR FRIENDS EVERYDAY.”

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