Knuckles died in his flat in Chicago on March 31, 2014 at age 59
Barack Obama pays tribute to 'trailblazer' Frankie Knuckles
Barack Obama has paid tribute to the late his fellow Chicagoan Frankie Knuckles, calling the DJ and producer a "trainblazer" who "captured our attention and ignited our imaginations".
In a letter dated 17 April, the US president and his wife, Michelle Obama, offered their "heartfelt sympathies" to "the friends and family of Frankie Knuckles".
"We were deeply saddened to learn of Frankie's passing," they wrote. "Frankie's work helped open minds and bring people together … and his legacy lives on in the city of Chicago and on dance floors across the globe."
Barack Obama previously paid tribute to Knuckles to mark Chicago's official Frankie Knuckles Day, which took place on 25 August 2004. Part of the city's Jefferson Street, outside the former site of the Warehouse club, was also renamed Frankie Knuckles Way.
Last week, Elton John announced the founding of a Frankie Knuckles Fund, created in conjunction with his international Aids foundation. The Knuckles Fund will work with men at high risk of HIV in Africa as well as linked communities in the US and Britain.
Knuckles, known as the godfather of house music, died on 31 March from complications with Type II diabetes. He was 59.
