Johnny Thompson, owner of Johnny Thompson Music, which served the Monterey Park, Calif., area since 1959, passed away on Aug. 21. He was 77.
“Johnny Thompson, our cherished ‘boss’ of the legendary Johnny Thompson Music Store, but simply ‘JT’ as as we all usually call him, and for the most part, the community dignitary for the music arts and education, the stalwart of community service for young people’s education, both a father-figure and an unassuming champion of bridging and bringing together many generations of people from around the world, congregating around the beautiful humanity of music.
We miss you Johnny, thank you for all these years of magic through music and learning… the legend of JT Music transcends all boundaries!,” the store wrote on its Facebook page.
Johnny Thompson Music closed its doors on Sept. 10. It will briefly reopen on Sept. 24-26 for a going-out-of-business sale, before officially closing.
Following this announcement, both Thompson himself and the store received an outpouring of support from fans and the local community.
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