Erick Morillo Dead: ‘I Like to Move It’ DJ Dies at 49

DJ Erick Morillo has died at age 49, according to TMZ. His body was found on Tuesday morning.  A cause of death is unclear at this time.

Morillo, the creative mind behind ‘I Like to Move It’, won a number of awards for his work over the course of his career, including three DJ Awards for “Best House DJ” in 1998, 2001, and 2003, and three “Best International DJ” Awards in 2002, 2006, and 2009.

He Was Charged With Sexual Battery in August

News of Morillo’s death comes just three weeks after he was arrested and charged with sexual battery. According to Local News 10, Morillo and the woman who accused him were DJing at a private party in Miami Beach in December. They both returned to Morillo’s home, where the victim alleged that Morillo “made several advances towards her, some sexual in nature, but she refused all of his attempts.” When she woke up, according to the outlet, the woman “reported waking up nude on the bed, with Mr. Morillo standing on the side of the bed also nude.”

Morillo denied the accusations.

He Performed Under a Variety of Names

Born in New York in 1971, Morillo performed under a number of names, including Ministers de la Funk, The Dronez, RAW, Smooth Touch, Deep Soul, Club Ultimate, and Li’l Mo Ying Yang.

In a 2017 interview, Morillo was asked about to discuss his proudest achievements. He said, “I mean, for me, obviously, having launched the label and the first 3-4 years people just bought whatever we put out, and having won the hearts of retail people and the DJs. And this is back in the day when vinyl was the big thing. And for me that was one. Working with Jocelyn Brown, and Louie Vega, and working with a bunch of talented producer that I have…I don’t wanna be a business guy anymore, now I’m focused on being an artist. And y’know, really, the label is more about a banner to represent myself and the DJs and producers that work with me. So I’m just really excited that I’m able to be in the place that I am right now. Really what we’re doing is putting out a record every two weeks and everything is quality.”

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