On November 26, 1978, in Los Angeles, California, 11-year-old Justin Rosolino was tragically killed by his father, renowned jazz trombonist Frank Rosolino. That night, Frank Rosolino fatally shot Justin and critically wounded his younger brother, 7-year-old Jason, before taking his own life. Jason survived the incident but was left permanently blinded.
This devastating event was a culmination of personal turmoil in Frank Rosolino's life.
In February 1972, his third wife and mother of his sons, Leslie Ann Bashore, committed suicide. Following her death, Rosolino expressed feelings of profound loss and despair, often remarking that he and his sons were alone and might be better off joining her.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Jason was adopted by Claudia and Gary Eien, relatives of his mother. The jazz community mourned the loss and later organized benefit concerts to support Jason and others affected by similar tragedies.
Given that Frank Rosolino was the perpetrator and he died at the scene, no arrests were made, and there were no other suspects involved in this heartbreaking incident.
