Booming electronic music producer DJ Charles Elias Ingalls, known as CharlestheFirst, has passed away. He was 25 years old.
According to a press release by the multimedia company co-founded by the rising star, he “passed away in his sleep” on December 10.
“It is with the heaviest hearts that we announce this,” said a statement shared on Instagram by Lab Group. “Early this morning, our beloved Charles Elias Ingalls passed away in his sleep. Among many things, Charles was a larger than life presence who deeply moved and affected all who knew him.
“An absolutely brilliant son, brother, friend, poet and musician,” the statement continued. “He lived his life with a sense of magic and inspiration that most people only dream of. Charles, we love you more than words can tell and we can’t wait to be reunited with you. We promise to honor and cherish you throughout this life and the next. Please respect the privacy of Charles and his family during this time.
Ingalls’ musical style was heavily influenced by nature due to his birth and growth in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, according to his biography on Spotify.
“By merging her organic hip hop roots with a lush, experimental electronic composition, CharlestheFirst has developed a dancing style imbued with dream and psychedelia,” reads her artist biography.
Ingalls fans took to social media to pay tribute upon hearing of his death.
“CharlesTheFirst has always been the soundtrack to my creative sessions, some of my best moments of inspiration and love, not only with myself but with the amazing people around me who also feel his music and I am so sad and send all my love to his friends and family â€, a fan wrote.
“Play charlesthefirst and only charlesthefirst for the rest of the day,” posted another fan. “Rest in peace king.”
According to Nashville Metropolitan Police Department, the musician was found unconscious by a friend on Friday morning in a Nashville hotel room.
Ingalls was scheduled to perform to a full house Saturday night at The Caverns, an underground concert hall in Pelham, Tennessee.
The cause of his death is still under investigation.
