MTO News has learned that Quinn Coleman, the son of BET’s longtime CEO Debra Lee, passed away suddenly. We confirmed that Quinn, who was just 31, was pronounced dead yesterday and his cause of his death is unknown. He was not believed to have been suffering from any acute illness however.
Debra stepped down as BET’s CEO two years ago, but she remains to many as the public face of the network.
In addition to being the son of powerhouse businesswoman Debra Lee, Quinn was the senior director of A&R at Capitol Records. He also had an extensive career in the music industry and was also a successful DJ, who went by the name DJ Spicoli.
Yesterday tributes flooded social media as friends and colleagues reacted to the tragic news.
“RIP QUINN COLEMAN,” producer Kenny Beats tweeted. “A LEGENDARY PERSON, DJ, A&R, FRIEND, AND BROTHER. LOVE YOU FOREVER DUDE. CHECK ON YOUR FRIENDS EVERYDAY.”
“Quinn Coleman wasn’t just our A&R, he was a close friend,” the band Brasstracks added. “When the time was right he took a chance on us and changed our lives. we spoke on the phone regularly. we had big plans. I just woke up to the news that he’s no longer with us. im still processing. RIP Quinn.”
“Quinn Coleman is a legend in this cultural thing that we all live in. The genius, the talent, the personality. He’s one of the great ones. He gave us so much and I know he was gonna give us so much more…” a friend tweeted. “…Sending my prayers to the Coleman family, to my dogs Modi and Marty and to his friends and loved ones, man. Quinn is loved, bro. And we love y’all so much. And we’re here for y’all.”
“Rest In Peace Quinn Coleman aka [DJ Spicoli],” another wrote. “You had one of the biggest hearts in the game. Always excited to see you and catch up. Best energy. Love you my mans.”
MTO News offers our sincerest condolences to Quinn’s friends and family at this time. See some Twitter reactions to Quinn’s passing below. Rest in Peace.