Friends and family of David “Big Sleeps” Cavazos gathered at Dolores Mission Church in Boyle Heights Wednesday night to pray for his recovery after the internationally recognized tattoo artist has been hospitalized after suffering a stroke earlier this month.
The Pico Union native mostly known for his tattooing, murals and renowned tagging alphabet has been living with advanced kidney disease since 2022 and was searching for a living donor.
During the evening mass, Father Greg Boyle prayed for the recovery and “total health” of Cavazos while family members and lifelong friends hung their heads in the Boyle Heights church known for its advocacy and intervention in the lives of local gang members.
Matthew Cammarano drove to Boyle Heights from Santa Clarita to honor and pray for his friend. He was shocked to hear about Cavazos’ sudden negative turn with his health.
“I was broken hearted. The guy’s been going through it with his kidney issues, and we thought it was maybe turning around,” Cammarano said.
To Cammarano, who originally met Cavazos through the tattooing scene, Cavazos’ impact isn’t just contained to tattoo shops or the walls he’s painted.
“I think his name is known throughout LA. There’s not a place in LA that he didn’t touch, with his artwork, with his character, with his clothing, with his tattooing,” Cammarano said. “And if there’s ever a good representative of all of us, someone who’s been from every aspect of good and bad and turned his life around and gives back to the community, I think he’s a good example.”
Among the nearly 50 people who attended Wednesday’s mass were many of Cavazos’ family, proudly sporting merchandise their brother, uncle or husband helped to design.
The phrase “praying for better days” in the Big Sleeps’ font stood out on the hoodie of Frank Lazo, Cavazos’ nephew.
“This shows how many peoples’ lives he touched,” Lazo said, looking at the crowd around him. “And it’s not just local, it’s worldwide. It’s great to see that he’s got that prayer going for him so he can recover and overcome this battle he’s facing.”
To Cavazos’ wife, Monica Torres, leaning into her faith and support system is what’s keeping her afloat while her husband is in the hospital.
“I’m praying for a miracle and it’s in God’s hands right now,” Torres said.
She was proud to see Cavazos do more advocacy work around health in the last few years and recognized his worsening health didn’t stop him from talking about his condition and how to support others undergoing the same fight.
“Every post that he was posting was about health and how to take care of yourself and the importance of being an [organ] donor,” Torres said. “To be a donor, you could help people like him. To receive a kidney is like a miracle and it makes a big difference in someone else’s life.”
Another person proudly wearing a shirt Cavazos designed was William “Beaver” De La Ponce who looks back fondly on his memories of his time with one of his closest friends and the impact he had on him and the community that raised them both.
“His spirit, the way he was with us, was never negative. He just showed nothing but love. So, to see him in this situation he’s facing right now, I’m not gonna lie, it’s very, very, very painful…” De La Ponce said. “We pray, we’re gonna have faith and he’s definitely gonna pull through.”
De La Ponce said he and others will carry his legacy on, no matter what happens at this point. But it’s not just Cavazo’s legacy that De La Ponce will carry on, but another gift he gave to him almost a decade ago.
In dense, black ink, Cavazos inscribed De La Ponce’s son’s name on his chest when the boy was born. It’s a lifelong gift from a lifelong friend and from someone he has a profound respect and admiration for.
“Sleeps is my friend,” De La Ponce said. “He’s my brother. 100 percent.”
