To steal a line, Justin Mitchell has left the building. After a very nice 69 years, Justin has moved on to that big rock show in the beyond.

Born to John and Mila Mitchell in October, 26 1952 Justin bounced from Lima, Ohio to Manhattan, Kansas before they settled in Boulder, Colorado. There was a year in Thailand which would cement a love of Asia that Justin would carry for the rest of his days. Justin spent most of his days there in Boulder, where he would grow and befriend such legends as Chris Reed, Paul Smallwood, Bruce Spellman, Leah Gordon, and Hans Jensen.

After graduating from Fairview High in ‘71 (Go Knights!), he spent a year at CU, after which he enlisted in the US Army and was deployed to Korea. It was there that he met his 1st wife, Suki. After completing his service, he returned to the States and received his degree in Media Communications and Information from the University of Colorado Boulder in 1978 with the likes of Rob Reuteman.

After a stretch in Kansas City, Justin spent time at the Lincoln Journal where he would meet his lifelong friends, Cathy Huddle and Tim Rife. Upon being recruited by Joe Rassenfoss to the Rocky Mountain News, Justin returned to the land of Red Rocks around the birth of his son Julian in 1985.

It was during this time that he became the Rocky’s prominent rock journalist and reviewer. During his tenure at the Rocky he had lunch with Yoko Ono, got a Vitamin B booster shot in his butt with Ted Nugent, and came as close as possible to being a rock star.

After leaving the Rocky, he accomplished some of his strangest writings as a contributor to the Weekly World News. He played many roles during his stint with America’s strangest paper- whether he was Ed Anger lamenting of the “destruction” America, or “Serena Sabeck the World’s Sexist Psychic” dispensing love advice, it was here that Justin was allowed to fully flex his creative muscle, setting the stage for his best writing and some of his most exciting adventures.

It was in 2003 that Justin moved to China, after a three week spell teaching English in Shenzen with his son. The plan was for him to return to the States in six months. He stayed for 10 years. As a copy editor for The China Daily, Justin found new life in the Land of Mao, had some of his craziest adventures, and his best writing (which you can experience yourself with his book Shenzen Zen available now Amazon). He lived all over China from Shenzen, to Hong Kong, to Beijing. If there was ever a time Justin was a BMC (big man on campus), it was in China, he was a Big Man in China.

After 10 years, his declining health caused him to returned to America and live out his days with his son.

Justin is survived by his son Julian Mitchell, his sister Alexandra Eyle, his nephew Maximilian Eyle, and his countless friends from around the world.

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