Tyrone Blea, a bright-shining, beautiful spirit, a beloved partner, son, brother, nephew, cousin, and friend, passed away on August 6, 2026, after a brief and courageous battle with lymphoma. He leaves behind a vast circle of heartbroken family and friends, with a collective anguish and sorrow for a man who touched so many people and left behind a treasure-trove of memories in his too-short, but brilliant, life.

Tyrone was born in Dodge City, Kansas, on November 12, 1970. He was raised by his parents, Frances Blea and Manuel Blea Sr., who surrounded him with love and support until he was ready to begin his own journey—a life that would bring wondrous discoveries, enduring friendships, extraordinary creativity, and the unfolding of a once-in-a-lifetime love story.

Tyrone's dear friends Mary Kay and Jon, tried to play Cupid on a couple of occasions, prior to one particularly eventful, blow-out Labor Day weekend party, where Kevin was suddenly smitten by this charming man with his irrepressible smile—wearing nothing but his coveralls—and the spark of love was ignited, never be extinguished.

Tyrone and Kevin shared nearly 30 years together, with a single two-year break during which time Tyrone was in Phoenix, DJing his heart out. Through trials and hardships, adventures and ordinary days, theirs was above all a life of deep and enduring love. They were far more likely to be seen together than apart, except, perhaps, when Kevin disappeared into an antique store or two. Kevin knew he had met the love of his life, and though Tyrone has left this realm, he will forever live in Kevin's heart and his cherished memories.

Tyrone was, by nature, humble, considerate, and deeply kind. He could light any room with an effortless, genuine smile, and he gave the kind of hugs you remembered. He loved tending his beautiful plants and flowers that gave him so much comfort and peace. He loved travel when it was possible, especially vacations in the Colorado mountains and traveling to visit dear family and friends in Chicago, Los Angeles, San Diego, and New York. Tyrone was always happiest when beloved family and friends were near, sharing stories of their lives, genuinely and deeply appreciating their companionship.

He had a special way with animals. Dogs especially seemed to know that Tyrone was the safest person in the room and would quickly bond with their newfound soul brother. One can only imagine their collective joy now—surely enough to light an entire solar system.

Tyrone was a child of summer, spending as much time as humanly possible in the swimming pool, lounging and listening to favorite music, sharing a cold drink with beloved friends, and rare sightings of very pale Kevin. And if you were fortunate enough to witness Tyrone and dear friend Mary Beth perform the legendary "Crab Walk", consider yourself especially blessed.

From childhood, Tyrone found comfort and freedom in making art. His family and teachers recognized his remarkable gift for drawing and encouraged him to pursue formal training. His talent earned him a full scholarship to study art at Kansas State University before he transferred to the Kansas City Art Institute. At KCAI, Tyrone studied painting, photo-video, and installation art and formed friendships that would prove transformative and lifelong. For a multitude of reasons, he stepped away from making art for many years. Thankfully, the need to create eventually called him back. His drawings were later showcased in a solo exhibition at Plenum Gallery in Kansas City, Missouri.

If art was one of Tyrone’s gifts, music was one of the great loves of his life. He could tell you exactly where he was the first time he heard Prince, the Eurythmics, and so many of the other artists who helped shape a young, hungry soul searching for meaning. Funk and soul gave Tyrone joy and meaning throughout his life. If he wasn’t spinning vinyl for a crowd, he was shaking up the dance floor as only he could. To watch him dance was to watch pure joy.

While attending the Kansas City Art Institute, Tyrone had the good fortune to meet fellow student Theo Parrish, who would become one of the world’s most respected underground deep-house DJs. Theo took Tyrone under his wing and introduced him to what became a soul-saving passion: spinning vinyl for a sweaty, bumpin’ and thumpin’ crowd of house heads in search of musical salvation. Hallelujah children!

Tyrone’s passion for music was unquenchable. Over the years, he curated an extraordinary collection of rare, deep-house vinyl—one of the finest in Kansas City— and perhaps, the region. He played clubs and venues throughout Kansas City and held a residency at One80 in Westport with co-host Mike Dileo, where they drew crowds of fans and a few celebrities, from rappers to football players and figure skaters such as Tech N9ne, Tony Gonzalez, and Michelle Kwan. Tyrone also DJed in New York City, Phoenix, and San Diego. Among his most cherished musical memories was opening for the legendary live house band Tortured Soul, who seamlessly mixed live into his DJ set. Tyrone was both awed and deeply honored by the experience. More recently, he kept Kansas City dancing at The Ship and In the Lowest Ferns in the West Bottoms. The Kansas City house music community has lost one of their best, with Tyrone’s passing.

Anyone who knew Tyrone knows that silence would never be an appropriate ending to his story. So we imagine the music continuing somewhere beyond us: the beat dropping, the dance floor filling, and Tyrone—with that unforgettable smile—moving to the music with boundless joy in the best disco heaven has to offer. Forever and ever.

He leaves behind something that cannot be adequately contained in a list of names: generations of friends, artists, dancers, music lovers, chosen family, and countless people whose lives were made brighter simply because Tyrone was in them.

He made art.

He made music.

He made people dance.

He made animals trust him.

He made friends feel loved.

And for almost 30 years, he shared an extraordinary love with Kevin.

What a beautiful life. What a beautiful spirit. And what an immeasurable absence he leaves behind.

Tyrone is survived by his loving partner, Kevin McCarrison of Kansas City, Missouri; his beloved sisters, Elizabeth Espinoza, Sabrina Espinoza, and Samantha Espinoza of Los Angeles, California, Juanita Sanchez (Jerry) of Dodge City, Kansas and Jessica Eberle of Alpine, California; his brothers, Sammy Eberle of Alpine, California, Danny Blea (Sharon) of Manhattan, Kansas and Daniel Miekley of Los Angeles, California; his nephews, Christopher Blea of Kansas City, Missouri, Derek Blea of Manhattan, Kansas, and Lawrence Torrez of Dodge City, Kansas; his beloved aunt, Clara Gutierres of Wichita, Kansas; and his beloved cousins, Jennifer Holmes (Gutierres) of Wichita, Kansas, Aaron Sanchez (Brenda) of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Stephanie Chavez (Frank) of Phoenix, Arizona, and Jeremy Sanchez (Christine) of San Diego, California and other aunts, an uncle and other beloved cousins. He is also survived by Kevin’s siblings and their spouses, nieces, nephews, and many cousins, who embraced Tyrone as family.

Tyrone was preceded in death by his mother and father, Frances (Ontiberos) Blea and Manuel Blea Sr. his brother, Manuel Blea Jr., his birth mother, Veronica Eberle and sister Marie Eberle

Instead of flowers, please support the GoFundMe fundraiser for Tyrone Blea Memorial Art Scholarship