Rick “Slick Rick” Buchanan, a once popular DJ in Memphis, Tennessee, was found dead in his home Wednesday by his brother who was called for a welfare check on the man.
Buchanan was found by his brother John on January 24, when a neighbor called him after seeing the DJ’s back door standing wide open for hours.
When John arrived, he found the home’s front door locked but the back door wide open. Just inside, he found Rick’s headless body, according to WHBQ-TV in Memphis.
“I walked in and found him, and I just called 911. It was terrible,” John said, adding that at first did not realize his brother’s body had been decapitated.
Memphis DJ ‘Slick Rick’ Found Decapitated in His Tennessee Home https://t.co/uttikLRvVy
— LeoTerrell (@TheLeoTerrell) January 28, 2024
“I thought his coat was up over his head like it was cold or something. I ran out and then I ran back in. And then I realized it was something worse,” John recalled his reaction to first seeing the dead body.
John also told the media that Rick’s pants had been pulled down around his ankles.
“A lot of things were weird,” John continued. “He had his keys still in his hand. His pants were pulled down to his feet and the back door was wide open, so that’s the weird stuff.”
The 59-year-old victim, who is not related to Rapper Slick Rick (née Richard Martin Lloyd Walters), had been a popular DJ at bars all around Memphis but had recently curtailed his DJ career after being shot outside of the Stage Shop in 2014, John told the media.
The Berclair Police Department has confirmed the death but is currently only saying that the investigation is ongoing.
“We are just securing the property,” John said. “Making funeral arrangements. Taking care of my mom,” John concluded. He also said he is going to take in Rick’s dog, Lucky.
“As many have learned, Slick Rick is sadly no longer with us,” the family wrote in a GoFundMe page. “There are still many unanswered questions, and the family appreciates the outpour of love they are receiving.”
“If you knew Rick, you know he gave to anyone he could, friends, strangers, and charities like MDA. He used his voice and personality to raise unthinkable amounts of money for others. He was also a champion of Memphis music and took pride in presenting, playing, and promoting local music at The Stage Stop,” the page added.
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