Death of street clothing mogul Bevacqua probed

Medical examiners hoped to recognise Wednesday what caused the unexpected death of street fashion mogul Jonas Bavacqua, whose body was found a day earlier in the Laguna Beach home.

Orange County sheriff's officials said there initially were no obvious signs pointing a cause of death with the 34-year-old, who co-founded the widely used street clothing brand LRG in 1999 and presided over its rapid rise as a major fashion force among young people.

"Jonas became a star who burned brightly in the sky and who's gone very soon," said part of an assertion on Irvine-based LRG's website that described Bevacqua like a friend, partner, father and mentor. "There can be a hole in your hearts that may do not be filled. He's going to always be loved and missed by his friends, family, and all of those he inspired."

Using the company's Facebook page, Bevacqua and his awesome business partner, Robert Wright, founded Lifted Research Group, proven to patrons as LRG, with start-up capital raised partly from friends of Bevacqua's adoptive father.

Bevacqua had dropped away from college and moved back home along with his parents when he met Wright while doing its job a DJ at Southern California clubs. The 2 main sketched out a few of their earliest fashion ideas in the bedroom.

Deeply influenced by Southern California's skateboard, surfing and hip-hop culture, he explained he and Wright began making clothes that reflected their interests but that no one else appeared to be providing.

"I spent my youth in a pretty unique environment and was come across a lot of different things," he said in a 2009 interview while using the Orange County Register. "I didn't feel there were a clothing company to bridge the gap between most of these various things that people were into - that spoke with the melting pot of the concepts taking. That's what LRG was supposed to be about."

By 2006, LRG had annual sales of $150 million and was named by Entrepreneur magazine as No. 5 on its listing of that year's 500 fastest growing companies. Among its popular clothing lines are Luxirie, which targets 18- to 30-year-old women, offering clothing with Western and military themes, and items for example crystal-covered jeans.

Initially a clothing company, LRG has since branched over to include sales of gadgets, music as well as other items. It described itself like a "creative lifestyle" company that tries to reflect its founders' interests, installing fashion but environmental causes and other activities.

The corporation is usually mixed up in the promotion of underground recording artists and sponsors a skateboarding team, based on its website.

Bevacqua is survived by his mother, father, son, fiancee and seven siblings, according to the company's website.