Music producer Tony Cook, who went by the stage name Cookie Monsta, has sadly died at the age of 31. His label, Circus Records, released a statement on Twitter on October 2, informing fans that the dubstep and bass music DJ had passed away. “Our beloved Tony Cook (aka Cookie Monsta) has left us. We are devastated, no words can contain our feelings on such a day,” the record label’s statement read. “All of our thoughts go to Tony’s family, friends and our heart especially goes out to Tony’s son Olly, the Mini Monsta. The world will miss you Cookie, we will miss you brother.” Here are 5 things to know about him.
1. His cause of death is not known. In their Twitter statement, Circus Records also wrote, “Out of respect for Tony’s family, we will hold off on commenting any further until deemed appropriate.”
2. Fellow EDM artists are mourning the loss. As the news of his passing broke, other DJs and EDM artists expressed their sorrow over losing such a pioneer in the music community. “We are honestly beyond devastated at the news just shared by circus records, the passing of Tony, Cookie Monsta,” duo KOVEN tweeted. “He was always so much fun to be around, he had a wonderful and caring soul. We are so so sad for this loss to everyone that knew him. Rest in peace.” Electronic artist Dirt Monkey wrote, “Damn… rip to the absolute legend cookie monsta, another reminder about how fragile life can be.” Fellow EDM artist, Downlink, also posted a tribute, “I remember passing tunes back and forth on the dubstepforum back in the day. a true OG and pioneer of the dirty dubstep sound has left us. RIP Tony Cookie Monsta.”
3. Cookie Monsta played some of the biggest festivals in the world. He delighted his legion of fans around the world by taking the stage at festivals like Electric Daisy Carnival Las Vegas, Electric Zoo and Glastonbury.
4. He has spoken out about mental health in the past. Cookie Monsta canceled his tour last year after revealing that he had “been struggling with mental health issues.” He wrote on his Facebook page in May 2019 that he needed to take a break. “I’ve not been online recently as I’ve been trying to work through my problems away from the glare of social media. Unfortunately I’ve not made as much progress as I’d hoped, so I’ve decided that I need to take a longer break from the scene.”
5. Cookie Monsta revealed in 2018 that he had depression. In a December 2018 tweet, the DJ wrote that he didn’t realize he had been suffering from depression until he was older. “I never knew I suffered with depression until I grew older and being able to look back at myself growing up. Sometimes I’m absolutely emotional-less and then other times I’m extremely emotion-full,” he said.
