Jonathan Mayers, the co-founder of US music festival Bonnaroo, has died aged 51.
Mayers is also the co-founder of Superfly Entertainment alongside Rick Farman, Richard Goodstone and Kerry Black. In 1996, Mayers and the Superfly team launched the first Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, in Manchester, Tennessee. The festival has since grown to be a 70,000 capacity festival, and is a major event on the US festival market.
“Our hearts are extremely heavy.”
This year’s festival, set to take place 12-15 June, hosts headline appearances from Tyler, The Creator, Olivia Rodrigo and Hozier, alongside performances from Avril Lavigne, Justice, John Summit and more.
In a social media statement, the festival said: “Our hearts are extremely heavy as we mourn the loss of one of our Co-Founders, Jonathan Mayers.
For more than a decade Jonathan was a creative force behind this festival that so many of us have held near and dear to our hearts now for more than twenty years. As a very small token of our appreciation for what he contributed to Bonnaroo, we will plant a tree in his honor on The Farm.
Our thoughts are with Jonathan’s family and friends during this very difficult time. This weekend we celebrate Jonathan by doing the two things we know best to do in our favorite place on the planet. Spreading love and radiating positivity. Thank you, Jonathan. This one’s for you.”
