International songwriter and DJ Erick Morillo was found dead at his Miami Beach home Tuesday, police say. Morillo was 49 years old. The circumstances of his death are currently unclear.
Morillo, well-known for his House music, was facing a sexual battery charge and had his first court appearing scheduled for Friday. Morillo was arrested in early August after being accused of sexual battery on a woman in December. Morillo initially denied the accusations, but later turned himself in after results of the rape kit came back positive for his DNA.
The news was broken by TMZ, but later confirmed by local authorities in Miami Beach. Local 10 News in Miami wrote: “Officers say they received a 911 call at 10:42 a.m to 5660 La Gorce Drive. Detectives are on scene and in the preliminary stages of the investigation, Miami Beach Public Information Officer Ernesto Rodriguez said in an email.”
Moriollo was the creator behind the hit song “I Like to Move It”, which was later popularized by the movie Madagascar. He was also a 3-time winner of the DJ Awards’ Best House DJ and Best International DJ. His most recent win was in 2009.
