R.I.P., Marlon Chavarria of St. Nick’s Pub

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Very sad news to report: Word has come in that Marlon Chavarria, longtime bartender at St. Nick’s Pub, passed away in a car accident Tuesday.

Some bartenders you don’t notice, some you ignore, but some, like Chavarria, become part of the fabric of your life. To the regulars at St. Nick’s, a no-frills neighborhood bar near the Beverly Center where he tended bar for 14 or 15 years -- and at the Coronet where he also worked -- Chavarria was a small man (he couldn’t have been more than 5-foot-2) with a big grin and a big heart.

‘He always teased people, but people loved being teased by him,’ says Jason Martinez, 34, a TV producer and director who frequents St. Nick’s. ‘He was always making fun of me for my pink cellphone cover, but it was an honor to be made fun of by him.’

‘Marlon is the best person. He is the kindest person. He is the greatest employee. There is nothing bad about him. He is responsible and caring. He is the greatest, and he is going to be missed by everybody, by every regular who walks in here. He’s like a son to me,’ St. Nick’s owner, Nick Faltas, said before breaking down in tears.

For those who wish to honor Chavarria, there will be an informal gathering tonight at St. Nick’s Pub beginning at 6 p.m.

-- Elina Shatkin