Brisbane in mourning after death of prominent Cabaret Nightclub bouncer Taaga Perez
The tragic passing of ‘Brisbane’s best bouncer’, a father-of-five who was “the definition of family”, has rocked hundreds of Fortitude Valley regulars and left hearts broken across the city.
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A city’s nightclub scene is in mourning following the devastating passing of the “best bouncer in Brisbane”, Taaga ‘Junior’ Perez.
The father of five spent the past 12 years of his career working at Brunswick St gentleman’s club The Cabaret Nightclub where he established connections with people who became more like family than colleagues.
He sadly died due to medical reasons on February 1, aged 47.
Cabaret owner George Kleinschmidt and manager Tayana Popovic reflected on the “massive impact” he had, particularly in the Fortitude Valley precinct, as a “gentle giant” who had a deep respect and love for everyone he met.
“He detested violence, and his main concern was the safety of every single staff member, every single patron, every single person walking those pathways or waiting for the bus,” they said.
“Junior had worked for us for over 10 years and was genuinely loved by everyone. So many hearts have been left broken and I can honestly say that we will never find anyone like him again.”
A former colleague of his, Dimity Mazepa, who worked on the door with him for four years said he was the most humble man a person could hope to meet.
“You always made sure we were always safe,” she said.
“I will miss our chats, our nights of eating on the door at work, the NRL nights, and the accents we would talk to each other in. You will be so missed. Love you Junior. ‘Get home safe’.”
Other colleagues of Mr Perez, who will remain unnamed, described their friend as being a person they could always rely on to keep them safe and make them smile.
“He was a man of such positivity. In his role you would expect there would be days or situations that would get the best of him but he always remained that calm happy Junior that we all knew,” one colleague said.
“I know people always say how their loved ones would light up a room when they walked in but Junior brought composure, a sense of calm and togetherness. He was the definition of family.
“I never saw a negative side to Junior, he was always just happy no matter the situation. He did really impact so many lives and for us who knew him the pain we may feel from his loss will never outweigh how grateful and truly lucky we were to have him in our lives.
“His spirit will definitely live on through us.”
The club created a GoFundMe fundraiser for Mr Perez’ family following his passing, which exceeded $21,000 in a matter of days.
Mr Perez leaves behind his five children, Emelie, Hinckley, Bitner, Sienna and Gabrielle, who “meant the world to him”.
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