International manager for Steve Aoki, Deorro, and more, dead at 45

Michael Theanne, Steve Aoki‘s international manager since 2008, passed away on Saturday, February 29 at age 45. He collapsed near his Los Angeles home after a hike with his dogs. The cause of death is pending.

Theanne played a large role in Aoki’s global success, managing the DJ/producer in the UK and other international territories, enabling headline European festival slots and Ibiza residencies alike. Most recently, Theanne secured an Amnesia residency in summer 2019. The esteemed industry operative received a Grammy nomination for working on Aoki’s I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead documentary in 2016.

Other electronic clients included Cheat Codes and Deorro. Deorro posted an Instagram on Sunday (March 1) in response to the news:

View this post on Instagram

i’m hurting so bad right now. never in a million years did i think i’d lose someone so important to me, not this soon. this man could move mountains for me, for nearly a decade this man made the biggest difference in my life. thank you for everything, thank you for being my manager, my brother, thank you for believing in me and everything we wanted to do. i’ll see you soon MT, till then, rest in peace

A post shared by Panda Funk (@deorro) on Mar 1, 2020 at 11:06am PST

Theanne is survived by wife Elena and daughter Luna. His family also released this statement:

“Michael’s incredibly warm, loving and generous spirit impacted all around him. “We know that many of you will join us as we continue to carry Michael in our hearts forever. At this time, our family asks that we be allowed to process this devastating and sudden loss in private. Information regarding a funeral and memorial will be forthcoming.”

H/T: Billboard