R.I.P.: Mister Cee, Radio Personality, Record Executive

Mister CC (1967-2024)

DJ Mister Cee, aka The Finisher, a pioneering record executive, radio personality, and stalwart in the New York City hip-hop scene, has reportedly passed away at the age of 57.

The cause of death is not known.

Born Calvin LeBrun in the Bedford–Stuyvesant section of Brooklyn, Cee fell in love with hip-hop's burgeoning culture and started DJing at an early age. He went to high school with a future rap legend Big Daddy Kane. Eventually, he became Kane’s official DJ when he released his 1988 debut album, Long Live the Kane.

He also discovered The Notorious B.I.G. and served as the rapper’s DJ and an associate producer on his debut album Ready to Die.

During the 1990s, he began his long tenure as a DJ at New York’s Hot 97, where he was known for spinning the classics and breaking the music of rising artists.

Cee was also the co-host of The Beat 102.7 in Grand Theft Auto IV, along with DJ Green Lantern. 

Mister Cee’s long-running “Throwback at Noon” show became one of the most listened to programs on city radio at Hot 97.

At the time of his death, he was working for Audacy’s 94.7 The Block in New York. Skip Dillard, the brand manager of 94.7 The Block, said colleagues knew something was wrong when the station did not receive his next show. “It wasn’t like him to not send in his show and within two hours we found out he was gone,” Dillard said.

Hot 97 issued a statement about his passing:

Many took to social media to share their condolences and tributes to Cee when news of his passing became public.