Shaun Roberts, the former promoter of London nightclub Fabric, has died.
He passed away on Christmas Eve after being diagnosed with colon cancer in 2019.
Fabric confirmed the news in a tribute posted to their social media. “As a team and a family we are devastated at your loss,” they wrote.
Roberts worked for the nightclub for 16 and a half years. He started out by helping to promote the venue’s launch in 1999 before taking on other roles in the wider team, later becoming a promoter. He was renowned for the help he gave unknown DJs by booking them to appear at Fabric.
“You were the dearest friend to us, a cherished fabric family member, professional raver, passionate music lover, full of strength, determination and so much more,” continued the post by Fabric. “We love you very much and you will always be a source of inspiration.
“You paved the way for so many artists that are now at the top of their game and helped shape fabric into the club it is today. We are all so grateful. We will miss your humour, your banter, your rants, your anarchy, your cheeky smile and everything amazing that made you, you,” the post said.
“Forever with us – there will always be a space for you on the Fabric dancefloor, and in our hearts.”
Roberts had raised over £160,000 for his cancer treatment. Writing on his Crowdfunder, Roberts confirmed he was diagnosed was Stage 4 Metastatic cancer and “my life expectancy was not good at all. Initial thoughts were that I probably had 18 months and any treatment would be designed to make life comfortable rather than to cure.”
“I went through more than 20 rounds of pretty punchy chemotherapy, 25 sessions of pelvic radiotherapy, had half of my liver cut out, three other operations on my liver, some lymph nodes chopped out, my rectum cut out (I shit you not) and a colostomy created. Oh, and I got a hernia too! Amazingly, all the visible cancer was removed from my body,” said Roberts before confirming it had returned. “The name of the game is to stay alive as long as possible,” he added.
He finished the post by saying “I wouldn’t be in this sorry state if I had paid more attention to what my body was telling me. I put it off for ages, made excuses why I was too busy to get to the doctor and told myself it would get better. Ultimately that’s my fault. Please don’t be stupid like I was. It’s scary to face it but what I have been through is much worse. Catch cancer early and you will give yourself much better odds of beating it.”
Tributes have since poured in for Roberts following his passing. Radio DJ Lauren Laverne tweeted: “Rest well, Shaun Roberts. My heart is with your friends and family today xxx.”
Hudson Mohawke added: “RIP Shaun Roberts. So sad. Lot of people myself included owe him a great deal. Responsible for a lot of pivotal moments in peoples careers [and] took a lot of risks in the stuff he booked at Fabric. And more importantly just a brilliant guy.”
Sacha Lord, the Night Time Economy adviser for Greater Manchester, also paid tribute, saying that Roberts “was known and loved by everyone in the industry”.
Enormously saddened by the loss of Shaun Roberts. We used to message about music often, and even at what must’ve been very low moments, he seemed to find great joy in simply talking about songs. Here are some of his impeccable shows for Amateurism Radio: https://t.co/AHFvWpqAlJ
— Laura Barton (@missbarton) December 27, 2022
RIP Shaun Roberts, a Fabric legend and lovely guy who gave myself and many others their first breaks at the club 🫡
— High Contrast (@HighContrast) December 26, 2022
RIP Shaun Roberts. Such a beautiful human being. We’ve really lost a good one 😢
— Madam X (@DJmadamX) December 26, 2022
RIP Shaun Roberts. Rest easy♥️♾️
— DJ ZINC (@djzinc) December 26, 2022
RIP Shaun Roberts. Few clubs played a comparable role in shaping my growth as a DJ as Fabric in London, and I credit Shaun with those bookings and that vision. My first gig there, I was opening for A Guy Called Gerald. I don’t even remember the year…
— Nappin 4Tay (@atrak) December 26, 2022
RIP Shaun Roberts. Nothing but good times whenever he was around. Opened the door for me to play Fabric for the first time. Was instrumental in Dubstep & Grime being represented in the club.
But first of all, just a genuine guy. He’ll be sorely missed. ❤️
— Plastician / Stish (@Plastician) December 27, 2022
Rest in peace Shaun Roberts of fabric, who looked out for me early in my career, and was always a lovely guy to be around. My love to anyone close to him ❤️ pic.twitter.com/JOxUv78R46
— DJ Yoda 🎧 (@DJYodaUK) December 26, 2022
Very sad to hear that UK club land has lost one of the nicest, most genuine people, to his battle with cancer.
Integral to @fabriclondon success, he was responsible for creating many artists careers.
Known and loved by everyone in the industry.
RIP Shaun Roberts.
— Sacha Lord (@Sacha_Lord) December 26, 2022