The Houston club scene is mourning the loss of influential Numbers owner Robert Burtenshaw, who committed suicide on Saturday. The legendary nightclub, which celebrates its 35th anniversary this summer, has changed its Facebook profile images to black in his memory.
Known to many as Robot, Burtenshaw long reigned as one of the city's leading DJs, beginining when the club first opened in the late 1970s. His Classic Numbers parties kept Houston's gothy-new-wave heyday alive right up to his death. On the club website, the listing for this Friday's regularly-scheduled Classic event reads only "RIP Robot."
"To continue operating Numbers without him will be tough, but that is our intention and his wishes, so that is what we aim to do."
"[He] changed the landscape of Houston nightlife forever back in the '80s and influenced us all to this day whether you realize it or not," fellow Numbers DJ Wes Wallace said in a statement.
"To say he will be sorely missed is an understatement and to continue operating Numbers without him will be tough, but that is our intention and his wishes, so that is what we aim to do."
A private ceremony has been arranged for friends and family, while details for a larger celebration of Burtenshaw's life will be announced in the near future. In lieu of flowers, those close to the noted DJ are asked to make a donation to an AIDS organization such as AIDS Foundation Houston.
Wallace's official statement ends on a particularly sad note with a gentle reminder to readers: "If you know somebody with depression, please try to reassure them that things will get better."
According to the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences, Burtenshaw died by his own hand near the St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Church in Humble. Judging from public records, he appears to have been 58.
Burtenshaw's storied Numbers nightclub has been a fixture on the Houston scene since the late '70s.
