Musician, producer, record exec John Pac dies in Eastbourne

ONE OF THE founding fathers of the British Christian music scene, John Paculabo (aka John Pac), passed away on 22nd January in Eastbourne after a six-month battle with cancer. The musician, record producer and, in more recent years, record executive was born in Liverpool and was co-founder of Christian folk band Parchment. In 1972 Parchment enjoyed mainstream pop chart success with the single "Light Up The Fire" - a song, co-written by Pac, which is still used in school assemblies throughout Britain today. In 1976 John was appointed as A&R Manager at Pilgrim Records, where he produced well over a hundred albums. In the early '80s Pac worked as a UK representative for America's Refuge Records. He relocated to Eastbourne in 1988 to accept a position at Britain's leading modern worship company Kingsway Music as Director of Music. Within two years he became the Managing Director, a position that he held for over 20 years. During his time at Kingsway he established their publishing arm Thankyou Music, working in partnership with Capitol CMG Publishing, as one of the most significant publishers of Christian music, handling such songs as "In Christ Alone", "All Heaven Declares" and "Here I Am To Worship".

John was passionate about worship and justice, which led him and his wife of 33 years Juliet to found the charity Ray of Hope. Over the last 10 years Ray of Hope has brought education, health care and pastoral guidance to thousands of lives across the Amazon basin and established over 14 schools and a community centre. It has also planted pepper plantations and funded pastors to go into the deepest parts of the Amazon jungle to evangelise to the unreached.

John received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Christian Booksellers Convention in 2008. John and Juliet had three children and one grandchild, who also reside in England.