Who was DJ Funk? Real name and all about the Ghetto House pioneer in wake of his death at 54

Ghetto House pioneer DJ Funk, 54, unexpectedly passed away on March 5, 2025. Also known as Charles Chambers, he released a few albums such as Ghetto House Anthems in his career and was active as a DJ for more than thirty years.

Funk's friend and collaborator DJ Slugo confirmed the news in an email sent to People magazine on March 6, where he praised Charles by writing:

"He was one of the pioneers of the sound we call ghetto house music in Chicago. We love and miss you my brother, and I won't let our sound die."

Notably, the circumstances leading to DJ Funk's death are yet to be made official. Although he was struggling with fourth-stage cancer, it remains unknown if the health issue was the reason behind his demise. Chambers' family had also launched a GoFundMe page a few days ago to accumulate funds for his funeral.

The page description states that DJ Funk is "facing the heartbreaking reality" that he needs to plan his farewell. The description also reads:

"He has been bravely battling stage 4 cancer and now doesn't have much longer left. We are raising $10,000 to cover funeral arrangements and give him the tribute he deserves. This is a challenging time for the family and any support you can provide whether through donations or sharing this post would mean the world to us."

Other personalities also expressed their grief, including DJ Dave Clarke, who wrote on Facebook that Charles' energy in his music helped to set the dance floors. Clarke also recalled how he and Chambers managed to be in touch with each other through different mediums.

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DJ Funk's career as a DJ: Music projects and more

The Chicago, Illinois native managed to become a popular face with his flawless work as a DJ over the years. Charles' biography on All Music stated that he gained recognition after releasing a few EPs through the record label, Dance Mania.

Back in 2015, DJ Funk appeared for an interview with Red Bull Music Academy Daily where he opened up on his early life by saying that he was born to a poor family and had to struggle with financial problems. He disclosed that the condition of schools was not up to the mark when he grew up in Chicago and continued:

"As an inner city kid, that's all you have for a role model. You don't see a businessman with a suit on around your house – you see a drug dealer or gang banger. When you in the neighborhood and it's only one job available for every 10 teenagers… it makes you f*cking go crazy."

Charles said that he developed an interest in creating his music after working as a DJ for some time, adding that he purchased a drum machine for the same. Funk further stated that there have been a few tracks that he continued playing on different occasions. He also addressed his career as a DJ by saying:

"I wasn't even going to take DJing serious. The first DJ experience I had that made me thinking about taking DJing seriously was when I was a shorty. One day, I had bought maybe a couple of dozen of f*cking Memorex cassette tapes. I made a mix and I dubbed them up. I made about them $500 in an hour."

Apart from Dance Mania, DJ Funk founded his own record label, Funk Records in 2006 and released several singles and EPs. He was also famous for his mixing work and he played his tracks for only around two or three minutes.

As a solo artist, he had five albums in his credits, including Ghetto House Anthems, Ghetto House Anthems 2, Booty House Anthems, Booty House Anthems 2, and Booty House Anthems 3.