Jim Carroll, author of The Basketball Diaries, dead at 60

**Chalet** · September 15th, 2009, 11:32 AM

'Basketball Diaries' Author, Punk Icon Carroll Dies
In the 1970s, Jim Carroll was a fixture of the burgeoning New York art scene, where he mixed with artists such as Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Larry Rivers and Robert Mapplethorpe. His life was shaped by drug use, which he wrote about extensively. He died of a heart attack Friday at 60.

He died from a heart attack at his home in Manhattan, his ex-wife Rosemary Carroll told The New York Times.

In the 1970s, Carroll was a fixture of the burgeoning downtown New York art scene, where he mixed with artists such as Andy Warhol, Patti Smith, Larry Rivers and Robert Mapplethorpe. His life was shaped by drug use, which he wrote about extensively.

Carroll also published several poetry collections, while his 1980 album, Catholic Boy, has been hailed as a landmark punk record, and he became known for one of its songs, People Who Died.

But it was The Basketball Diaries, his autobiographical tale of life as a sports star at Trinity, an elite private high school in Manhattan, that brought him his widest audience. The son of a bar owner, Carroll attended the school on a basketball scholarship.

The book, which began life as a journal, was first published in 1978 and then became even more popular, particularly on college campuses, when it was issued as a mass-market paperback two years later. A 1995 movie version starred Leonardo DiCaprio.

His poetry career started even earlier. Carroll was in his teens when he first received recognition for his poems, especially "Organic Trains" in 1967 and then "4 Ups and 1 Down" in 1970. Among his other works are collections such as The Book of Nods (1986), Fear of Dreaming (1993) and Void of Course: Poems 1994-1997 (1998).

Carroll left New York in 1973 and moved to California, where he met his future wife Rosemary Klemfuss. They later divorced.

It was Smith who encouraged his music, and he formed the Jim Carroll Band. Among his other albums were the less successful Dry Dreams (1982) and I Write Your Name (1984). Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.

Brought back a lot of memories for me.

Public Arts : 'Basketball Diaries' Author, Punk Icon Carroll Dies (2009-09-14)

**Mel1973** · September 15th, 2009, 11:33 AM

and that's 3, right?

RIP

**czb** · September 15th, 2009, 11:36 AM

surprised he made it to 60.

people who died. DIED.

**Chalet** · September 15th, 2009, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by czb

surprised he made it to 60.

people who died. DIED.

Hey, somebody had to say it.

This is how I think of him. With Patti Smith.

His current photos were so sickly looking that I can't even post them.

**witchcurlgirl** · September 15th, 2009, 12:08 PM

I had to call my dad when I saw this. He knew already though. Jim Carroll was a part of his boho circle when I was young.

I haven't seen him in many years, but dad said he saw him about a year ago, and he wasn't doing well.

**KrisNine** · September 15th, 2009, 12:46 PM

Originally Posted by witchcurlgirl

I had to call my dad when I saw this. He knew already though. Jim Carroll was a part of his boho circle when I was young.

I haven't seen him in many years, but dad said he saw him about a year ago, and he wasn't doing well.

That is so cool that your dad knew him. I always loved the characters in the whole Warhol scene.

**witchcurlgirl** · September 15th, 2009, 03:12 PM

^ My dad had more of a music scene connection than a Warhol connection to Carroll. (Although now that I think about it, my dad is good friends with John Cale- worked on some of his albums- so maybe it was through the Factory. I'll have to ask when they met.)

Someday I'm going to found a support group for adults who survived a rock n roll childhood........

the meetings will be hilarious