Jon Zazula , co-founder of Megaforce Records and a historical figure in the heavy metal scene, died last Tuesday, the 1st, at the age of 69. The news was confirmed by Variety .
Known as Jonny Z, the music executive began his career as the owner of the independent record store Rock and Roll Heaven in New Jersey. Later, he heard a Metallica and became the band's tour manager early in their career. It was then that he decided to found the record label alongside his wife, Marsha , to release Kill 'Em All (1983), the band's first album. Ride The Lightning (1984) was also released by Megaforce , before the thrash metal band moved to Elektra Records that year.
In the following years, Zazula worked with other important names in metal, also releasing Anthrax , Fistful of Metal (1984). Other bands that passed through the label include Warren Haynes, Testament, Overkill, Frehley's Comet, Ministry, and many others.
“Heavy metal lost one of its greatest champions today as Jonny Z left this world far too soon. In 1982, when nobody wanted to give four kids from California playing a crazy kind of metal a chance, Jonny and Marsha did it, and the rest, as they say, is history,” the band wrote in a statement. “He was a mentor, a manager, a record label boss, and a father figure to all of us… Metallica wouldn’t be who we are or where we are today without Jon Zazula and his wife, Marsha.”
In January 2020, Marsha Zazula passed away at the age of 68. James Hetfield named her the "Matriarch of East Coast Metal" and thanked her for all the support throughout her career.
Rest in peace, Jonny!
