CITRUS HEIGHTS, Calif. (KTXL) — Community members came together Thursday to pay their final respects to a local musician who was killed in North Natomas on April 10.

A private service was held for Giovanni Pizano, known to many as DJ Gio , where family and friends gathered not to mourn but to celebrate a life taken too soon.

“He would be happy. He would be proud. He would want it to be a party. He wouldn’t want people to sulk,” one person in attendance said.

Some wore clothes honoring the artist. Several people wore a bracelet with his name. One pair wore sweatshirts with pictures of Pizano.

“He was DJ Gio but he was also a son, a brother, a nephew, and he didn’t deserve to die the way that he did,”  Anita Razo, Pizano’s mother said.

Above the casket, images of Pizano played showcasing a talented DJ on the rise.

“When we first met we didn’t like each other cause I think I was the best DJ in the world but I realized quickly who was and it was him. … Life is the most precious thing we have. Time is not promised. It’s the unfortunate reality of the way life is today,” said a man in attendance.