Police officers responded around 2:25 a.m. on Feb. 22 to Cooper’s home on West Parkway Avenue, where they found Cooper, 46, shot. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Cooper was the owner of Rush’s Music, a longtime Knoxville institution that supported local music programs. Friends said Cooper recently bought the business from its previous owner and was enthusiastic about continuing its legacy of helping students and the community.
“Jason was a pillar in the community, particularly Knoxville’s huge music community,” said Alicia Sharp, a close friend of Cooper’s. “He was really excited about owning the company and continuing its legacy. He was so enthusiastic about helping students. He donated so much of his time to helping marching bands. Yes, as a businessman, but also just as someone that wanted these students to have opportunities to grow.”
Beyond his devotion to music and education, Sharp said, Cooper “was just the type of person that cared a lot, about everything and everyone. … He really was just such a wonderful soul and I truly believe the world is worse without him in it.”
This tragic loss is felt deeply by Knoxville’s tight-knit music community. Cooper’s friends and customers remember him as a kind, generous man who gave greatly of himself to support music students, local bands, and Knoxville culture as a whole. The violent and senseless nature of his death makes his loss even harder to bear.
