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2d ago

Jonathan Mayers, Co-Founder of Bonnaroo and Outside Lands, Dies at 51

Organizers honored his memory on Instagram ahead of the June 12 festival start, with his Detroit arts hub project still in development.

Image
San Francisco Mayor London Breed attends Clusterfest on June 21, 2019.
Amy Poehler performs onstage at Clusterfest on June 21, 2019 in San Francisco.
Third Eye Blind performs on the Colossal Stage during Clusterfest at Civic Center Plaza and The Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on June 1, 2018 in San Francisco.

Overview

  • Jonathan Mayers died on June 9 at the age of 51, and no cause of death has been publicly disclosed.
  • Bonnaroo’s official Instagram paid tribute to Mayers as the festival prepares to run June 12–15 as scheduled.
  • Mayers co-founded Superfly Entertainment in 1996 and launched the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in 2002 and Outside Lands in 2008, pioneering immersive, genre-spanning events.
  • He departed Superfly in 2021 amid internal disputes and filed a lawsuit against his former partners that was dismissed by a judge in 2023.
  • At the time of his death, Mayers was developing Core City Detroit, a mixed-use music and arts hub designed to support artists and community programming.