Colleagues from across the music industry have been paying tribute to Run DMC's DJ Jam Master Jay who was shot dead in his studio yesterday.
Speaking to the NME Missy Elliot said: "It's real, real sad, I heard about it on the plane here this morning and it just made me feel the same feeling that I felt about Aaliyah, so it took me into that zone. His family and friends, they're now feeling that."
Chuck D, referring to Run DMC as the Beatles of hip-hop, told us: "I'm very, very deeply saddened as well as angered over the loss of a man who was both a hero and a close friend of mine. We were allies and friends, traveled the world together, shared our thoughts and good times, and watched each other's children grow up. This is an immeasurable loss. Run DMC are our Beatles. It is a very dark day for the hip hop community."
P Diddy told reporters: "This is a great loss. Jam Master Jay was a pioneer. He led the way for a whole new genre of talent. Not only was he a great artist, but he was a great man who will be deeply missed."
On their website the Beastie Boys Adam Horovitz wrote: "We're deeply, deeply saddened and devastated by the news. The Beastie Boys toured with Run-DMC in the '80s on the Together Forever tour. It's a terrible loss. He was a wonderful person and a great friend. If Jam Master Jay and Run-DMC hadn't looked out for us way back when, I don't know where we'd be now."
Jam Master Jay, real name Jason Mizell, leaves a wife and three children. Wife Terri has issued a statement thanking fans for their support saying: "Jay's tragic death has left all of us numb. We pray that the person or persons responsible for taking away the breath from this loving husband and wonderful father is captured and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Jason's love, memory and music will continue to live on through all of us."
Mizell's killers are still on the run.