Chuck Brown, the Godfather of Go-Go, died today, reports WJLA. He was 75.

Brown had recently suffered a bout of pneumonia that forced him to cancel shows in late April and early May. Rumors of his death flew around Twitter two weeks ago; his family insisted that he was recovering.

We’ll have more to come, but it’s not too much to say that Brown defined and exemplified one of D.C. principal musical exports.

The Post’s Chris Richards already has an obituary published:

Like a DJ blending records, Mr. Brown used nonstop percussion to stitch songs together and keep the crowd on the dance floor, resulting in marathon performances that went deep into the night. Mr. Brown said the style got its name because “the music just goes and goes.”

In addition to being go-go’s principal architect, Mr. Brown remained the genre’s most charismatic figure. On stage, his spirited call-and-response routines became a hallmark of the music, reinforcing a sense of community that allowed the scene to thrive. As go-go became a point of pride for black Washingtonians, Mr. Brown became one of the city’s most recognizable figures.

This is another great read on Brown’s life, and the accompanying oral history: