When Frankie Knuckles passed away at the tail end of last month, tributes poured in from around the world, mostly from musicians and artists who knew Knuckles or had worked with him. And if a clearer demonstration was ever needed of how keenly felt his death was, then it comes in the form of this White House letter from US president Barack Obama and the first lady, Michelle:

The open letter was put on DJ David Morales' Facebook page – Morales had worked with Knuckles over a number of years on various remixes and his agency, Def Mix, represented Knuckles. Morales said: "Frankie's memorial service was emotionally special. To have his friends, family and the governor speak about Frankie goes to show the impact he has had on people."

President Obama and the godfather of house had in fact met before, while Obama served as a Illinois state senator. It was then that Obama had pushed for the street where the Warehouse once stood to be renamed Frankie Knuckles Way. In 2004, Obama also declared August 25 as Frankie Knuckles Day. 

Listen below to a live Frankie Knuckles set from 1977 at the Warehouse, Chicago: