Baltimore community mourns beloved DJ TNT, killed in wrong-way crash on I-95

A North Baltimore community is mourning the loss of a man friends say helped shape the city's music scene and touched countless lives along the way.

Timothy Summerville Jr., 47, known to many as DJ TNT, was killed early Saturday morning in a wrong-way crash in Elkridge, in Howard County.

Melba's Place was packed with friends, family and community members who came together to remember a man they say was much more than a DJ.

Friends described Summerville as a community staple who made the world a better place, one song at a time.

"He was a people person, beautiful spirit," friend and business partner Marques Dent said.

"He was my brother, but everyone is going to say that," friend Showtyme Soul added.

Friends and family told CBS News Baltimore it's difficult to believe someone so full of life could be taken so soon.

"He was just a light in this world and we're going to miss him," friend and business partner Kendrick Tilghman said.

Hundreds filled Melba's Place, where Summerville typically performed on Monday nights, to celebrate his life and remember the impact he had on the community.

"I'm so happy that everyone is showing up, pouring out the love for him because he deserves it," his cousin, Sharron Turner, said.

Summerville's influence extended well beyond the turntables. He also worked with young people in Baltimore, teaching math through music in city schools.

He was an instructor at the St. Francis Neighborhood Center, where friends say he used his love of music to help students connect with learning.

Tilghman recalled encouraging Summerville to bring that approach to his work with young people.

"I said, 'Hey, help me out with this. You have a great spark with the youth, you're witty. You know how to communicate really well. All you have to do is calculate the beats per minute and make sure it adds up so kids like mathematics,'" Tilghman said. "And he took it and ran with it."

"He made sure kids stayed in school, he made sure kids realized their dreams," Dent said. "He made sure kids had a pathway to career, to college, to entrepreneurship to do it their way."

And while music was a huge part of Summerville's life, friends say his greatest gift was his ability to connect with people.

"You like country, you're at a Bat Mitzvah, you're at a club, a wedding, he had something for everybody. He understood music and he understood people," Soul said.

"Make sure to remember he was a light and he would want everyone to enjoy themselves and celebrate more than mourn," Tilghman said.

Asked what DJ TNT would say if he could see the outpouring of love, his friends had no doubt.

"He would say, 'WOWWWWWWWW, let's go!'" Soul said.

"Wowwwww! He'd throw his thumbs up and do his signature dance!" Dent said.

"Wowwwwww, that's his statement, that's his statement," Turner said.

Police say the crash remains under investigation. Investigators believe the wrong-way driver may have been speeding and under the influence.