Juan Atkins, the Detroit producer widely credited as a founding father of techno music, has died at 64. His agency, Greensmith Artists, announced his death on November 1.

Atkins was found unresponsive in his Mexico City hotel room before a scheduled performance at YuYu Cine Club, Billboard reported, according to FOX 2 Detroit. Resident Advisor reports he was later taken to a hospital and pronounced dead. No cause of death has been reported.

Building a Sound in Belleville

Born in Detroit in 1962, Atkins grew up in Belleville, Michigan, where he met Kevin Saunderson and Derrick May. The trio became known as the Belleville Three and is credited with shaping the Detroit techno sound.

In 1980, Atkins formed Cybotron with Richard “Rik” Davis. The group’s singles Alleys of Your Mind and Clear became key early Detroit records, and its debut album, Enter, arrived in 1983.

Atkins launched the Metroplex label in 1985 and released music as Model 500. His track No UFOs became a foundational techno release and helped carry the Detroit sound to the UK.

His song Techno Music appeared on the 1988 UK compilation Techno! The New Dance Sound of Detroit, which Resident Advisor credits with fixing the genre’s name. He also recorded as Infiniti and Audio Tech, and later worked with Moritz von Oswald as Borderland.

Tributes From the Belleville Three

Saunderson called the news “heartbreaking” in a statement on Instagram. “Juan was the originator of Techno, a true visionary who opened the door for so many of us, myself included,” he wrote.

May also paid tribute in a video. “He never complained. He never mentioned how sick he was for years,” May said, as reported by FOX 2 Detroit.

Atkins, Saunderson and May reunited and performed worldwide through the 2010s. Resident Advisor notes that Atkins’ productions shaped producers and DJs across the UK and Germany.

For now, his family has not released a public statement, and no memorial plans have been announced.