Deszar Kareem “Disco” Calhoun, a 43-year-old Black man, died on January 20, 2016. He was born October 8, 1972, in Detroit, Michigan, to Talu Calhoun and Ronald Howard, and the nickname “Disco” followed him into adulthood as his love of music and entertainment became a defining part of how people knew him.
In 1979, he moved to Saginaw, where he went through Saginaw Public Schools and later pursued training and college work that reflected both creativity and ambition.
He graduated from Saginaw Beauty Academy and later earned a Business Management credential through Henry Ford College, blending practical skills with an entrepreneurial streak that would show up again and again in the way he built his life.
Friends and family remembered him as outgoing and magnetic, someone who liked being in the mix—meeting people, traveling, and staying close to the pulse of a crowd. DJing was central to him, and on good days he would sing through a range of songs and melodies, carried by a mindset described as relentlessly positive. Even his hair-cutting talent, something he could have treated as routine, became a personal craft he enjoyed as a hobby.
That pull toward entertainment wasn’t just a pastime; it became a business. He founded and operated Victory 1 Social Club LLC in Detroit, a venture he was said to be deeply devoted to, showing loyalty to friends and gratitude toward the patrons who supported what he was building. In the way he was described, the club wasn’t simply a job—it was the place where his passion for music and people could live out loud.
He was survived by his mother, Talu Calhoun of Saginaw, along with siblings including Robin Calhoun, Dawn Calhoun Howard, Latise Howard, and Jason Howard. He also left behind children—sons Marquavis Ladd and Alexander Calhoun, and daughters Marqwesha Hughes, Alexis Calhoun, and Angelina Rivera—as well as a grandson, Braylon Burns, and many extended relatives and loved ones. Special mention in his obituary was given to his best friend Byron Bird, Kervin Owens, and the members of Victory 1 Social Club known as “The Ten Team.” He was preceded in death by his father Ronald Howard, his brother EdGauidi Calhoun, and his grandparents.
A memorial service was held Saturday, February 13, 2016, at Paradise Funeral Chapel in Saginaw, with Dr. Phillip Crook of the Institute of Divine Metaphysical Research officiating. The publicly available obituary information does not describe the circumstances of his death, and it does not identify any suspects, arrests, or criminal case outcomes connected to his passing.
