Minister of Culture, Gender, Entertainment and Sport, Olivia Grange has led tributes to disc jockey and music producer Arif Cooper following his death on Sunday.

Cooper died suddenly while playing at a party early in the morning at the Police Officers Club in St Andrew.

In a statement, Grange said she is “deeply saddened” by Cooper’s passing.

READ: DJ Arif Cooper has died

“It is so sad that another of our outstanding personalities in the music industry has left us suddenly and at such a relatively young age,” the minister said.

“We saw Arif following his famous father, Michael ‘Ibo’ Cooper, a founder of Third World Band, into music and making his own name here in Jamaica and on the international scene where he entertained audiences in a number of United States cities and in Japan.

“Arif’s versatility was one of the huge features of the man and was greatly admired by his colleagues in the music industry, especially those whose careers benefitted from his talent, and by his fans. He will be sorely missed,” Grange said.

Fellow disc jock, Delano, a founder of Renaissance Disco sound system, said Cooper’s death is a big loss for the industry.

“We lost A Great one. My condolences to his family, friends and supporters. He was doing what he loves-by letting you dance, sing & fulljoy life,” Delano wrote on social media.

Cooper was introduced to music at an early age and began DJing at house parties in the early 1990s.

For more than two decades, he served at FAME FM as a broadcaster and DJ.

Cooper is also known for creating the Guardian Angel rhythm featuring TOK and Tami Chynn, and has also produced and written for ace deejays Sean Paul and Beenie Man.

Sean Paul was among the many people expressing sadness at Cooper’s passing.

“Jah know, still cyaah believe I woke up to this news. So much great musical memories shared with this legendary producer and DJ. Condolences to his family and friends. R.I.P to my Bro,” he wrote.

Another international dancehall star, Shaggy also paid tribute on social media.

“So saddened by the news this morning of our friend, producer, dj and member of our culture @arifcooper … condolences to his family. Walk good mi bredda,” he wrote.

Meanwhile, Grange added: “I express my deepest condolences to his family, his relatives, the RJR Communications Group with which he worked for many years, his friends and associates, to the music fraternity and to his fans and admirers everywhere.”