The 14-year veteran of the mobile entertainment industry suffered a fatal cardiac event while attempting to beatmatch a 103-BPM Latin dance track to a 17th-century Irish funeral dirge.
CANTON, Ohio — Kevin Barnes, 41, a veteran wedding DJ who spent a decade keeping intoxicated relatives away from microphones, died Saturday of a massive cardiac event while attempting a seamless audio transition from Los del Río’s "Macarena" to the traditional Irish ballad "Danny Boy."
Barnes, proprietor of Platinum Soundz Entertainment, held the Stark County record for playing "Uptown Funk" the earliest in a reception timeline. Witnesses at the McKinley Grand Hotel report the fatal strain occurred at 10:45 p.m. when Barnes, ignoring the blinking red warning lights on his Pioneer mixer, manually pitched down the lively 1995 dance track in a frantic bid to beatmatch a mournful a cappella tenor.
He knew the tempo gap was mathematically impossible, but Kevin always believed the crowd needed to weep immediately after doing the hip-swivel.
He is survived by his wife, Megan, two daughters, and 400 linear feet of hopelessly tangled XLR cables. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that guests simply fill out the song request cards.