Industry pays tribute to Juan ‘JC’ Faxas
- Details
Juan Faxas, known to his many friends and colleagues as JC, was born on 21 February 1962. At the age of six, his family fled communist Cuba for the US. Settling in California, JC attended South California Military Academy, Long Beach, as well as Warren High School, and graduated in 1980. Music was a passion for him from an early age; JC enjoyed singing and playing guitar as well as playing other artistes’ music as a DJ. In 1977, while still at High School, he founded Discomania and performed at weddings and parties throughout Los Angeles. He quickly expanded his business to larger venues and clubs through the late ‘80s, and continued to create music and produced his own dance records while also opening for some of the top dance acts of the day.
In 1992, JC started at the Covina Guitar Centre store working his way up to department manager. In 2007, he was promoted to assistant buyer at Guitar Centre’s corporate headquarters, collaborating with manufacturers on product ideas that turned into some of the industry’s top selling products. JC’s expertise was quickly recognised by the company, and he was promoted to director of live sound, DJ, and lighting. He joined the ADJ Group of Companies in 2016, where he worked until 2020 as audio product manager. He was instrumental in the launch of the Avante Audio brand, says the company.
ADJ Group says in a statement: "Faxas made a big impact on the industry during his career and an even bigger impact on his friends and colleagues. Both very funny and extremely friendly, JC was simply a great guy to be around. Not only was he an extrovert, always quick with a smile and an amusing story, he was also incredibly kind-hearted. If anyone needed help, or was in trouble of any kind, JC was always there to give his support."
The Faxas family had recently moved to Las Vegas and, prior to his illness, JC had taken on a new professional challenge as product developer for Xvive wireless solutions. Last year, he also launched his own YouTube channel MI’s Most Interesting People, where he interviewed industry friends, from "stars to stagehands".
There has been an immense outpouring of support and condolences for JC. In response, his widow Tina Faxas says: “Thank you everyone for your prayers and messages over these past few days/weeks. We know he felt them and they lifted him up. We will make an announcement for a celebration of life for him in a couple of weeks. Our hearts are shattered and need a few days to sort through the pain. Again, thank you.”
A GoFundMe campaign has been created to support JC’s family with medical bills, funeral expenses, and life without his financial support. To contribute, please visit: www.gofundme.com.
