New Orleans DJ Black N Mild Dies After Contracting Coronavirus

New Orleans DJ and radio personality Black N Mild has died at age 44 after testing positive for coronavirus, according to Billboard.

Black N Mild, born Oliver Stokes Jr, was known for being a prominent figure in New Orleans Bounce. “I was the first DJ in Nola history to have a radio mix show dedicated to Nola Bounce from 03-05 (up to Katrina),” he explained in a Facebook post on Feb. 3. 

“One of the biggest and best compliments I ever got from somebody in the industry,” Stokes said in a 2012 interview with Tulane University, as pointed out by Billboard, “is when I was playing an industry event I was doing in ’04. … I was DJing the event and there were a lot of industry people there and Doug E. Fresh was hosting. … Doug E. Fresh pulled me to the side and was like, ‘Man, I’ve heard a lot of DJs in my time; you were one of the smoothest DJs I’ve ever heard.'”

Stokes also worked at the Arthur Ashe Charter School in Gentilly. “Our school community is devastated,” said Sabrina Pence, the CEO of FirstLine Schools, the charter organization that operates Arthur Ashe, according to NOLA.com. 

Stokes was a father of four.