DJ Clark Kent has died of colon cancer at the age of 58

DJ Clark Kent – born Rodolfo Franklin – has died aged 58 after a three-year battle with colon cancer. Clark Kent's family confirmed his death in a statement posted to the super producer's Instagram page on Friday afternoon (October 25).

“It is with deep sadness that we share the passing of the beloved Rodolfo A. Franklin, known to the world as DJ Clark Kent,” the statement said. “Clark passed away Thursday evening surrounded by his devoted wife Kesha, daughter Kabriah and son Antonio.”

The post went on to discuss Clark Kent's private battle with cancer. “Clark calmly and bravely battled colon cancer for three years while continuing to share his gifts with the world,” they added. “The family is grateful for everyone’s love, support and prayers during this time and requests privacy as they process this immense loss.”

A touching outpouring of support came from the pioneering producer's colleagues, friends and fans in his comments section.

“Clark will forever be the culture,” Questlove wrote, while Raekwon added, “Awwww mannnnn. We will miss this legend. Condolences to the loved ones.

There were also tributes from Jim Jones, Dave East, Mickey Factz, Laura Styles, Rob Markman and others.

The Supermen frontman began his career as a DJ in the '80s before scoring his first major hit in 1995 when he produced Junior MAFIA and The Notorious BIG's “Player's Anthem,” which peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was released as Lil ' Kim's acted introduction to the world.

Clark Kent joined Jay-Z and produced a handful of tracks from the acclaimed Hov's Reasonable doubt Debut album in 1996 such as “Brooklyn's Finest” with Biggie Smalls, “Coming of Age”, “Cashmere Thoughts” and more.

Foxy Brown is Clark Kent's cousin and adds to New York rap history. The New York-born DJ is also credited with discovering bad-boy rapper-turned-politician Shyne in the late '90s.

When he teamed up with Mariah Carey, he scored another commercial anthem Sparkle2001's “Loverboy,” which reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Clark Kent was an integral part of sneaker culture and an avid sneakerhead throughout his life. In 2018, he was estimated to have more than 3,500 pairs in his rare collection.

In recent years, he has been credited as co-producer of Ye (Kanye West) and Lil Pump's “I Love It,” which gave him another top 10 hit on the Hot 100 in 2018.

DJ Clark Kent is survived by his wife Kesha, his son Antonio and his daughter Kabriah. Below is the family's statement.