(CelebrityAccess) — Jonathan Mayers, a pioneer of the modern music festival and co-founder of Superfly Entertainment and Bonnaroo, has died at the age of 51.
His death was announced by the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, which shared a tribute on social media Tuesday. A cause of death was not disclosed.
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Born and raised in New York, Mayers attended Tulane University in New Orleans, where he developed an early passion for live music and event production. While in college, he gained hands-on experience working at high profile events such as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
In 1996, Mayers co-founded Superfly Productions with fellow Tulane graduates Rick Farman, Richard Goodstone, and Kerry Black. The company quickly gained a reputation for producing events that fused music, culture, and art.
In 2002, Superfly partnered with Ashley Capps’ AC Entertainment to launch Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee. The first festival attracted about 70,000 attendees and became a model for modern multi-day U.S. music festival
Following Bonnaroo’s success, Mayers and Superfly went on to create other major festivals, including Vegoose, a Halloween-themed festival in Las Vegas, and Outside Lands, the acclaimed annual music and arts festival held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. The latter was developed in partnership with Allen Scott and Another Planet Entertainment.
In August 2021, Superfly terminated Mayers following internal disputes. In March 2022, he filed a lawsuit against his former partners alleging misrepresentation, breach of contract, and fraud. That lawsuit was dismissed in January 2023.
He went on to collaborate with Core City Detroit, which worked to foster economic development in Motor City.
