Tributes are pouring in for Mobo-winning DJ Swing, also known as Brian Daley, who died in a London hospital late last night.
Swing, 39, who shot to fame after being crowned Best Club DJ at The MOBO awards in 1998 by beating Fatboy Slim, The Dreem Team and Trevor Nelson, lost his battle with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer.
Originally a member of the Live to Break breakdance crew, his popularity grew throughout the 90s doing parties for artists such as Bobby Brown, Mary J Blige, Lennox Lewis, and Jodeci. He was one of Britain’s most successful hip-hop and R&B DJs of his generation until he was struck down with the rare disease.
Orin Lewis, chief executive of the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, which campaigned for Swing, saw him just before he died. He said that complications developed over 48 hours. He had minor health setbacks a few weeks ago which turned into a complicated situation with his liver, vital organs and all sorts of things.
"He was the most gracious, humble person you could want to meet. He worried too much about others. We’re glad he’s now in a peaceful rest because he was in a lot of pain. People can celebrate his great life and battle with myeloma. He was the most gracious, humble person you could want to meet. He worried too much about others: ‘Don’t worry about me, I’m OK but please step forward and register to help someone else.’ He was more happy to just sit in the background. He never looked for the glory. He was just fun-loving."
Broadcaster and columnist Henry Bonsu said it was a sad day, especially given the recent death of British soul singer Lyndon David Hall.
"These two deaths in close proximity will ram it home to people who don’t realise how urgent these cases are. The chances of rescuing them are so low. There aren’t enough of us in the register."
DJ Swing leaves behind his partner and two sons, who are said to be devastated. Swing was playing clubs all over the world when a minor backache turned out to be a rare blood cancer. In June 2004 he was told he had 8 weeks to find a donor. He had a stem cell transplant which bought him six months before he relapsed. He had no suitable donors in his family and the chances of finding this perfect donor were as low as one in a 100,000.
His boyhood friends and original DJ crew the Boogie Bunch launched a campaign to find him that match.
A Channel 4 documentary, Saving DJ Swing, in August last year followed his boyhood friends and original DJ crew, the Boogie Bunch as they launched a campaign to find him that match.
His friends re-formed to find him a donor themselves, putting on club nights-cum-donor clinics to mobilise the black community and so save their friend's life. The campaign took them back to their roots in clubland, as they spend the summer, culminating at the Notting Hill carnival, trying to mobilise the Black community and so save their friend’s life. And it’s not just their community’s apathy they had to deal with, as Swing himself was reluctant to go public with his disease.
On 10 November 2005, DJ Swing had a bone marrow transplant with a 90% matching donor. The transplant procedure went well with no complications and there were very positive signs that his body was accepting the transplant.
Unfortunately, the transplant didn't have the desired results. DJ Swing will be sorely missed.
Swing, 39, who shot to fame after being crowned Best Club DJ at The MOBO awards in 1998 by beating Fatboy Slim, The Dreem Team and Trevor Nelson, lost his battle with multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer.
Originally a member of the Live to Break breakdance crew, his popularity grew throughout the 90s doing parties for artists such as Bobby Brown, Mary J Blige, Lennox Lewis, and Jodeci. He was one of Britain’s most successful hip-hop and R&B DJs of his generation until he was struck down with the rare disease.
Orin Lewis, chief executive of the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust, which campaigned for Swing, saw him just before he died. He said that complications developed over 48 hours. He had minor health setbacks a few weeks ago which turned into a complicated situation with his liver, vital organs and all sorts of things.
"He was the most gracious, humble person you could want to meet. He worried too much about others. We’re glad he’s now in a peaceful rest because he was in a lot of pain. People can celebrate his great life and battle with myeloma. He was the most gracious, humble person you could want to meet. He worried too much about others: ‘Don’t worry about me, I’m OK but please step forward and register to help someone else.’ He was more happy to just sit in the background. He never looked for the glory. He was just fun-loving."
Broadcaster and columnist Henry Bonsu said it was a sad day, especially given the recent death of British soul singer Lyndon David Hall.
"These two deaths in close proximity will ram it home to people who don’t realise how urgent these cases are. The chances of rescuing them are so low. There aren’t enough of us in the register."
DJ Swing leaves behind his partner and two sons, who are said to be devastated. Swing was playing clubs all over the world when a minor backache turned out to be a rare blood cancer. In June 2004 he was told he had 8 weeks to find a donor. He had a stem cell transplant which bought him six months before he relapsed. He had no suitable donors in his family and the chances of finding this perfect donor were as low as one in a 100,000.
His boyhood friends and original DJ crew the Boogie Bunch launched a campaign to find him that match.
A Channel 4 documentary, Saving DJ Swing, in August last year followed his boyhood friends and original DJ crew, the Boogie Bunch as they launched a campaign to find him that match.
His friends re-formed to find him a donor themselves, putting on club nights-cum-donor clinics to mobilise the black community and so save their friend's life. The campaign took them back to their roots in clubland, as they spend the summer, culminating at the Notting Hill carnival, trying to mobilise the Black community and so save their friend’s life. And it’s not just their community’s apathy they had to deal with, as Swing himself was reluctant to go public with his disease.
On 10 November 2005, DJ Swing had a bone marrow transplant with a 90% matching donor. The transplant procedure went well with no complications and there were very positive signs that his body was accepting the transplant.
Unfortunately, the transplant didn't have the desired results. DJ Swing will be sorely missed.
