CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – The industry is mourning the loss of one of the greatest heroes and most award-winning competitive installers. Javier Gonzales, famous for his 2013 world record in the 8-Zone House Audio Pre-Wire Singles competition, passed away Saturday from injuries incurred when the TV mount he was installing detached from the wall early in the Second Round of pull-up testing. “This is really tragic for the industry,” said CEDIA Board Member and 2015 Articulating Mount Pull-Up Champion Joe Whitman. “Javier was a mentor to me and many other installers around the world. He will be missed.” The mishap is not without controversy, though. Rumors swirled on online forums immediately after the accident with anonymous sources saying that Gonzales was using toggle bolts instead of lag bolts directly into a stud. One post even claims Gonzales “switched to toggle bolts earlier in his career, possibly after the industry moved to LEDs and away from Plasmas. He’s been ‘toggling’ since at least 2012.” These conspiracy theories remain unverified as a full investigation into the accident is underway.
12th Annual TV-Mount Pull-Up Championship Turns Tragic in Second Round
