Jon Zazula, who with his wife, Marsha, founded Megaforce Records and was an important figure in the emergence of heavy metal music, giving Metallica, Anthrax and other bands their start, died on Feb. 1 at his home in Clermont, FL. He was 69.

Metallica memorialized Mr. Zazula on its Twitter feed. “In 1982, when no one wanted to take a chance on four kids from California playing a crazy brand of metal, Jonny and Marsha did,” the band said. At some point, someone brought them a demo tape by an unknown West Coast band, Metallica. The Zazulas liked what they heard.

Heavy metal was just beginning to take hold in the U.S. when the Zazulas became involved, and it was sometimes dismissed as mere noise. But in a 1983 interview with The Courier-News of Bridgewater, NJ, Mr. Zazula explained the attraction. “It’s music that’s pure emotion,” he said. “Heavy metal is super-talent at breakneck speed.”