Eric “Taz” Pagan was a customer of our tattoo shop in the Lower East Side. He was a customer for over 12 years. He had become a friend. We tattooed his friends and family. On August 23 at 4:30 am Eric “Taz” Pagan was shot and killed in front of the bar where he worked at as a bouncer. Just across the street from where our shop stands. I just wanted a little time to reflect on a beloved customer. Taz was a great man. It was always smiles when he was around. He would get a tattoo and even in pain he could crack jokes. I literally never saw him angry even once.
He had two children. One was a child he adopted after the child’s mother died of cancer. He was a class act. Words can’t truly express the loss that we feel. I knew Taz for about 9 years. I met him and we quickly became friends. I still feel he is going to walk through the door asking for me or my boss. Wanting to talk about the current events in the neighborhood or maybe to tell me how much the Mets suck. The ability to see him once more would be huge. Its a sad thing when you do a memorial tattoo on someone. When its a memorial tattoo of someone you knew it becomes 1000 times harder. Rest in peace Taz. A great customer and most of all a great friend. Thank you for being you. The Mayor of L.E.S