Megaforce Records co-founder Jon Zazula reportedly passed away at the age of 69.
Zazula's daughter, Rikki, confirmed the news on her Facebook account, revealing that his father had passed away. "The world lost a true legend today...." She wrote, "Our Dad lived a life as fast, hard, heavy, powerful, and impactful as the music he brought to the world. His passion and persistence fueled the careers of arguably the most influential metal bands, and industry greats of a generation."
"Although we are devastated he is gone, they are finally reunited," she added. "And it feels impossible to imagine a world without him in it," Rikki continued.
The beloved daughter ended her post saying, "For all of us who knew and loved him ... by the way... keep it heavy! RIP daddy you will truly be deeply missed, but, never forgotten...your LegaZ will live on forever, not only in us and your grandchildren, but, in every headbanger on this planet for all of eternity!"
His representative for the label has confirmed to Variety that he died on Tuesday, February 1, in Florida, surrounded by his brother, daughters, granddaughters, and friends. However, as of writing, no cause of death has been disclosed to the public.
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The Zazulas in the Music Industry
Jon Zazula, known by the moniker Jonny Z, founded Megaforce Records with his wife Marsha in 1983. The label became known for releasing Metallica's first two albums, "Kill 'Em All" in 1983 and "Ride the Lightning" the following year, which has helped the band and thrash metal get into the mainstream.
Aside from Metallica, the record label also released albums by Anthrax, Testament, Overkill, King's X, and other metal bands affiliated with the company, including Crazed Management.
Sadly, his wife and partner, Marsha, the "Metal Matriarch," died due to cancer in January 2021.
According to the mentioned publisher, the couple were nearly always side-by-side and also a friendly and familiar presence at metal concerts and events during the era. The pair initially started working together in the early 1980s for a small independent record store named "Rock and Roll Heaven," located at the Route 18 flea market in East Brunswick, New Jersey.
The Zazulas then began promoting shows which included an early show with the Canadian metal band, Anvil, as per source. And since then, their reputation grew until they got a demo from Metallica, making the reason they have created Megaforce Records to launch the group.
The world of rock and metal would not be what it is today without Jon Zazula.
— Megaforce Records (@megaforce) February 1, 2022
Jon's love of music and musicians was unwavering. A giant was lost today.
Rest In Peace Jon. pic.twitter.com/fiMt444mMn
The couple settled in Florida after their retirement. However, they continued being in the music industry as they hosted a radio show called "Jonny Z's Defcon 4" on Cranium Radio and worked on a successful benefit to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Sandy headlined by Twisted Sister.
May his soul rest in peace.
