House music has lost one of its pioneers in London DJ Kenny Hawkes who died following a long illness last weekend.

The Brighton-born DJ was one of the founders - along with Classic boss Luke Solomon - of midweek house night Space, which brought many legendary names in house to the city.

Twitter was alight with tributes for Hawkes, as some of the leading names in the scene paid their respects.

“Lost a very dear friend today, you will never be forgotten, RIP,” said Carl Cox. Felix Da Housecat added: “Another Great Friend and Amazing Person and Dj. Kenny Hawkes Rest in Peace Brotha..Very sad day..U def will b Missed (sigh).”

Derrick Carter, a frequent guest at Space, said: “Kenny Hawkes, I'm going to miss having you on this earth. Your dry assed sense of humor was amazing.”

Here's a mix that Hawkes himself posted from pirate station Girls FM back in 1995.






Kenny Hawkes on Girls FM - 1st Birthday Thursday 15th April 1995 by kennyhawkes