Brujeria’s frontman and co-founder John Lepe, also known as Juan Brujo, has passed away at 61.
“It is with deep sadness we have to announce that our leader Juan Brujo has passed away today,” the band said in their statement on Instagram. “Juan suffered a heart attack on early Monday morning, after a day off from the current Mexorcista tour in Saint Clairsville, Ohio.”
It continued, “He was rushed to the nearest hospital in Wheeling, West Virginia by emergency services, but, despite the medical team’s greatest efforts, he died this morning. His family, friends, and bandmates are devastated and wish to mourn in private, while they appreciate the fans’ love and support.”
Brujo started Brujeria in 1989 in Los Angeles with Dino Cazares, Shane Embury, Billy Gould, Jello Biafra, and Raymond Herrera. The band initially hid their identities with masks, using aliases, and portraying themselves as drug lords.
Their first album, ‘Matando Güeros,’ came out in 1993 under Roadrunner Records. In 2023, they released their latest album, ‘Esto Es Brujeria,’ through Nuclear Blast.
In a 2015 interview with The Moshville Times, Brujo said Brujeria was not meant to be a touring band, explaining, “We only ever meant to make some records. What it was, was back in L.A. in 1989, there was a metal scene which included grind and hardcore stuff. There was a band called Terrorizer, and they wouldn’t let them play in the normal clubs so they’d play in backyards in the Mexican parts of town.”
He added, “We would go — in the backyard of someone’s house — and none of the fans there watching the show spoke English. All these Mexicans — there are a lot of Mexicans in L.A., so we just thought, ‘We have to start a band that sings in Spanish. Give them what they want.’”
“There were issues with some of the guys — ‘I’ve got a contract with my other band,’ ‘I might be on the road’ — but we were only ever going to make music; we were never going to tour it. Just make music in Spanish and see how it went,” Brujo also noted.
Brujo’s death is the second tragedy for the band recently. Vocalist Ciriaco ‘Pinche Peach’ Quezada, who joined in 1992, passed away on July 17 from heart problems. The band’s North American Mexorcita tour was set to end in Los Angeles on September 27.
