Eminem’s longtime DJ, Lord Sear, has died at the age of 52.
The legendary hip-hop icon, whose real name was Steve Watson, passed away Wednesday.
His death was announced via Sear’s Instagram page that same day, though no cause of death has been released.
“It is with heavy hearts that we share the passing of Lord Sear,” the tribute read alongside three pics of the late SiriusXM host. “He was more than a voice on the radio — he was a force, a friend, and family to so many of us.”
The touching tribute also noted that Sear’s “legacy in hip-hop runs deep” before looking back on his rise from a “proud member of the CM family” to first making his “mark along side hip-hop artist Kurious.”
Sear joined Kurious in the early 1990s before connecting with the underground hip-hop “Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito” radio show in New York City.
He later toured with Eminem for the rapper’s Anger Management Tour in the early 2000s, and went on to become a host and DJ on Eminem’s SiriusXM hip-hop station, Shade 45, from its inception in 2004 until his death.
“Rest easy, Lord Sear,” the tribute to the late DJ ended. “The culture will never forget you.”
Eminem remembered Sear with his own social media post on Wednesday night.
“Sear was one of the greatest people to be around, I will never forget how he made me laugh on our tour together,” the “Lose Yourself” rapper tweeted. “Our time on [Shade 45] together was always some of my favorite interviews.”
Eminem continued, “He made the world a better place and I’m gonna seriously miss that. Rest in peace Lil Trey aka [Lord Sear]!!!”
SiriusXM confirmed to Page Six that a tribute to the late DJ and “hip-hop great” will run on Shade 45 (Ch. 45) from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. ET on Thursday and Friday, where “friends will come together” to share “memories and celebrate the incredible life he lived.”
Beyond his work with Eminem and SiriusXM, Sear also contributed his unique voice to the fictional Game FM radio station in the “Grand Theft Auto III” and “Grand Theft Auto IV” video games.
“I really like doing my show,” Sear told the Real Hip-Hop during an interview in 2017. “I have fun doing it because it’s what I wanna do. I play what I wanna play, and I talk my s–t, give people credit, and still have fun.”
He concluded, “Not to be dissing crazy people, but it’s out of fun, not out of character. I’m not trying to disrespect anyone. I like having fun doing it. It’s good for me, it’s good for my heart, it’s good for my soul. I like doing it.”
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