On January 31, in Bangkok, Thailand, my son Solomon and his fiancé, Nicole, were hit by a truck while stalled in a car on the freeway.  Nicole is in the hospital there with a spinal fracture and Solomon passed away.

I want to say what a privilege it has been to be his mother. He was the most amazing, delightful person, and I’m sure he will be long remembered. Please keep us all in your prayers at this time.  I enclose a posting from his brother Ammon with pictures.  I will write again when I am able,  Tamam.

 

When I was six I witnessed the home birth of my brother Solomon. As I watched him emerge from our mother, I was the first in the room to point out that he was a boy. It was a powerful moment still clear in my mind.

 

He was the best little brother imaginable – kind, smart, and enthusiastic about everything I did without any sense of competition or jealousy. Unlike myself, he was successful in school and followed a direct path to UC Berkeley, where he received a degree in anthropology – a straight A student all the way.

 

When I was 21 I helped start a successful weekly dance party in San Francisco, where I was one of the resident DJs. When I invited 15yo Solomon to one of our events and could see the lights go off in his head (uh oh, I thought). He was already a skilled bass player and dove into turntablism. He was immediately far more skilled than myself. Through college he DJ’d parties and started some weeklies – I thought at the time it would be just a hobby for him. After college he began playing at the big SF clubs and became the official DJ for the Golden State Warriors basketball team. I realized then that he would pursue DJing as a career.

 

Having spent a couple years deep in the Bay Area underground dance music scene, I was all too familiar with the challenges of a club career. I spent a few years worrying about my brother, hoping he wouldn’t slip into the dark side of nightlife. Somehow he traversed the club scene as he navigated though life – with a clear sense of purpose and positive outlook. He radiated confidence and balanced his night career with a healthy passion for sports and adventure. Many, myself included, were in awe of the world he created for himself.

 

About 6 years ago he met a wonderful woman named Nicole, who he proposed to a couple months ago. They were planning a wedding in Hawaii for this fall.

 

My brother Solomon was killed in a taxi cab in Thailand yesterday. The car stalled in the middle of the freeway and a truck rear-ended the car. He was there for a multi-show DJ tour with his fiancé Nicole. Nicole is in a hospital in Bangkok and in stable condition with a fractured pelvis and multiple broken bones.

 

I miss Solomon a lot. It’s greatest loss I’ve ever felt.