Dallas Penn, Host Of ‘The Combat Jack Show’ And Internets Celebrities, Dead At 53

Dallas Penn, cultural influencer and cohost of The Combat Jack Show, has passed away at age 53.

News of Penn’s death first surfaced on Wednesday (May 1), with the cultural influencer’s wife, Susan Penn, affectionately known as Chocolate Snowflake, announcing his passing on his Facebook account.

“Dallas has ascended to the music that was waiting for him. From September 1970 to April 2024, he always said it don’t stop, it won’t stop, and he’s waiting for us all at the Funkadelic Stevie Wonder Sean Price party in the sky. Rest my love and see you in our other lifetimes. Love you always, for all time,” she wrote.

While no official cause of death has been revealed, Penn had recently been hospitalized due to health issues related to a lengthy bout with Type-2 Diabetes, which he had been open about with his followers on various social platforms prior to his transition.

Several of Penn’s former The Combat Jack Show castmates reacted to his passing, with Premium Pete recalling his last conversation with his longtime friend and collaborator. “I’m Heartbroken,” the footwear influencer and media personality wrote on Instagram. “I Spoke to #DallasPenn yesterday not even knowing that was the final call we would ever have.

“As I reflect back, what an honor to share so many legendary moments and memories with Dallas. A True Brilliant Dude, He was the older brother I never had. The only thing that makes me happy is to know that him and Combat are back together.”

A native of Queens, NY, as a teenager, Penn was affiliated with several iconic youth collectives that helped impact Hip-Hop culture, including The Decepticons and Lo-Lifes, which included future rap luminaries Sean Price, Smif-n-Wessun, and Thirstin Howl III.

Following high school, Penn would work in the graphic design, construction, and architectural industries while pursuing his creative passions, many of which revolved around music, fashion, and other facets of urban culture.

During the age of YouTube, Penn and fellow New Yorkers Rafi Kam and Casimir Nozkowski formed the Internets Celebrities, which made a splash with viral videos like their reimagining of McDonald’s famed “Big Mac” burger, landing the trio a profile in the New York Times in 2010.

Already a popular figure on social media and other digital platforms, Penn’s stardom rose even further following his partnership with late entertainment attorney and podcaster Reggie “Combat Jack” Osse, launching The Combat Jack Show, a pioneering program in the Hip-Hop podcasting industry.

Adding outlandish — and sometimes controversial — comic relief to Osse’s more measured approach, Penn’s presence helped spur The Combat Jack Show to the top of the podcasting industry, where it remained up until Osse’s own untimely passing in 2017.

In addition to The Combat Jack Show, Penn hosted a myriad of podcasts over the past decade, including Talkitecture and The Newlyweds, the latter of which was cohosted with his wife and showed the jokester’s more tame side.

Respected for his insight on New York City culture and history, Penn was often sought out by respected authors and journalists for his insights. His words have appeared in books like Bury Me With the Lo On and on outlets like AndScape, as he recently contributed to a profile on New York Knicks point guard Jalen Bruson that was published mere days prior to his death.

R.I.P. to Dallas Penn. You will forever be missed. VIBE sends our condolences to the Penn family.

See more reactions to Dallas Penn’s death below.

More from VIBE.com

• Jadakiss Recalls Passing On Beat That Became JAY-Z's "U Don't Know"

• Cam'ron Compares Just Blaze To Russell Wilson: "He's Ivy League"

• Combat Jack To Be Honored With His Own Street In Brooklyn