When John Tagonui was born on 15 July 1930, in Illinois, United States, his father, John Tagonui, was 30 and his mother, Margaret Tagoni, was 18. He married Shirley Jean Weaver on 20 January 1951, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States. He lived in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States in 1935 and Inglewood Judicial Township, Los Angeles, California, United States in 1940. He died on 27 October 1984, in Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States, at the age of 54.