John Paul Brophy

1951 - 2025

John Paul Brophy

1951 - 2025

Salt Lake City, UT-Our beloved father, friend, mentor, and neighbor passed away peacefully on April 28, 2025, surrounded by good friends and family at the age of 74.

John Paul was born in 1951 to parents Carol and John P. Brophy Sr. in Salt Lake City, Utah. His childhood was filled with many adventures-both in Salt Lake and around the country in New York and California. He carried the best parts of all those places with him, blending city smarts, West Coast cool, and Utah roots into a style all his own.

As a young adult, John Paul studied at Humboldt State and later transferred to the University of Utah. At age 20, he survived a life-altering motorcycle accident. For many, that might have marked an end to certain dreams-but for John Paul, it simply marked a new chapter. He faced the challenges with determination, humor, and grit, eventually running a successful photography business in Northern Idaho and pursuing a lifetime of artistic and intellectual passions.

He married his life partner, Wendy Whitney, in 1986. Wendy brought her daughters, Rachael and Ruth, into their marriage, and John Paul embraced fatherhood with love and reverence. He treasured his daughters, and was especially grateful to have Rachael by his side in his final days. His marriage to Wendy was the central joy of his life. Over 38 years, they traveled the world together-China, Ireland, Alaska, Laos, Cambodia-always side-by-side. When asked about it, he would say Wendy was his greatest adventure: the most ambitious and loving woman he ever knew.

John Paul was a beloved pillar of the Salt Lake community. His sharp wit and bottomless humor made him impossible to forget and easy to love. As a writer for City Weekly and the Salt Lake Tribune, he covered the music beat with insight, honesty, and infectious enthusiasm. He was a "music man" in every sense-co-owner of the legendary Dead Goat Saloon, and a driving force in shaping Salt Lake's blues scene. He loved music the way some people love oxygen: he needed it to breathe.

But that wasn't his only passion. John Paul adored trains-real ones and the miniature kind. He was a dedicated model railroader, spending countless hours building elaborate layouts and telling stories through the track. His love of railroads wasn't just a hobby-it was a way of life. In fact, for years, he had an actual caboose in his backyard, a sacred space where he wrote, read, and welcomed visitors. It was part hangout, part shrine, and wholly John Paul-filled with books, maps, music, and railroad relics. He loved the history of trains, the mythology of the American railroad, and the sound of a distant whistle cutting through the evening air. Trains, to John Paul, were more than machines-they were memory, movement, and magic.

He also loved baseball. Not just the game, but the spirit of it. He traveled to ballparks across Utah and the United States, savoring every pitch, hot dog, and seventh-inning stretch. Baseball, like blues music, was something that made sense to him. It had rhythm, tradition, heartbreak, and hope. He could rattle off stats, stories, and obscure trivia with joy-and he always rooted for the underdog.

John Paul was the epitome of a good neighbor, good husband, good friend, and good father. He adored music and long drives, stars and comets, trucks and trains, stories and laughter. He was profoundly grateful for the community that gathered around him in his final months-especially Maris, Justin, and the entire Scott family, whose care, company, and compassion allowed him to remain at home, in the presence of love.

He is survived by his daughter, Rachael Maclaughlin, extended family, many nephews and nieces, his dear friends, his white Scottie Willie, and his cherished adopted Scott grandchildren-Anderson, Adalayde, Elle, Walker, Madsen, and Jameson. He was preceded in death by his wife Wendy, his daughter Ruth, his parents, Carol and John Paul Sr., and his brother Kevin.

Attentive, kind, intelligent, generous, well spoken, undeniably witty, hilarious, stubborn (in the very best way), and strong-these are the words that echo when people remember John Paul. He leaves a gaping hole in the hearts of many. All that can be said now is: "How sweet it was to be loved by you."

In lieu of flowers, John Paul would've preferred that you go out and leave a $20 tip in a musician's tip jar or guitar case. If that feels too hard, please consider a donation to Excellence in the Community, an organization devoted to supporting local musicians, including many blues artists John Paul loved and championed.