Friend of Martin Garrix Killed in Malaysia MH17 Crash
In July 2014, Martin Garrix received devastating news. An old friend of his, Darryl Dwight, tragically passed away in the MH17 plane crash (for those unfamiliar with this crash, a flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down over Ukraine on July 17, 2014 — a terrible loss for all 298 passengers aboard, 80 of whom were children).
Like Martin, Darryl was an aspiring producer, and the two had previously collaborated on a track together back in 2010. Martin was only 14 years old at the time, but even then their track ‘Out Of The Earth’ was well produced. In the years since, Martin’s career has traveled a distance few could have imagined — from a Dutch teenager releasing tracks under Darryl’s encouragement to one of the most recognized names in dance music. In his Facebook post at the time, Martin said he owed a great deal of his progress to Darryl, writing:
“I just wanted to thank you for being who you are and how you’ve inspired me and so many other people. Love you.”
Martin & Darryl
We know how difficult a time it was for the families and friends of everyone lost on that flight. Dealing with the death of someone we care about is among the hardest things we face in life, and a sudden loss like this changes people forever. Our thoughts remain with everyone affected by this tragedy.
Martin Garrix’s Career in the Years Since
At the time of this tribute, Martin Garrix was still a rising talent barely a year removed from the release of his breakout single “Animals,” which had already made him the youngest artist ever to top Beatport’s chart. In the decade that followed, Garrix became a global headliner, topping DJ Mag’s Top 100 DJs poll multiple times, founding his own label STMPD RCRDS, and becoming a fixture at Tomorrowland and Ultra Music Festival. He carried the collaborative, generous spirit reflected in his tribute to Darryl into his own mentorship of younger producers on his label in the years that followed.
Flight MH17 remains one of the most significant civil aviation tragedies of the past two decades, and moments like Garrix’s tribute are part of how the dance music community processed a loss that touched fans and industry members alike. Darryl’s track with Martin, made when both were teenagers experimenting with production, remains a quiet document of a friendship that shaped an artist who would go on to influence a generation of dance music fans.
See Martin’s full Facebook post below:
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