Person Who Died

Jim Carroll - September 11, 2009; heart attack at the age of 60. Reportedly died while at his desk writing in his Manhattan apartment.

From 'The Basketball Diaries' -

Spring 1965; Age 15

"I'm lying on the sofa digging SUPERMAN on t.v. after dinner and my moms is sorting through the mail of the day: Life magazine, a letter from the Bartender's Union, The Catholic News, (why they insist on sending that rag here I have no idea. We never pay the little frog that comes around to collect for it. I think anyone with an Irish name they send it to on a hunch), a bill from Macy's and, as my old lady makes me quick to know, a letter from my principal, Mr. Bluster. She opens it like a savage ... a short note: "Jim has become a constant enigma around here as you might well detect from the report you received last week. Please attend parent's day next week (date ... blah, blah, cocktails served) as Jim's teachers and I are anxious to see you about this."

She beams in on me in a manner rather mean, "What happened to this report card crap last week?"

"Well, dig, I heard a lot didn't get out, some mail hassles ... Eggie called me last night and mentioned he didn't get one either."

Of course that's jive, I simply knew what day it was coming and skipped practice, intercepted it, dug what an atrocity it was and now it's a bed of shreds at the bottom of the dumbwaiter shaft. "What the hell does 'enigma' mean?" she asks my brother. He shrugs, a bagful of potato chips in his mouth. I grab the big book and blurt out in dictionary language, "Enigma: a model of perfection, an example used to have others strive toward. E.g., He was a constant enigma among his math classmates." I calmly fold the big volume and bury it back into the shelves, my brother rolling around the floor choking on potato chips. My old lady heads over to the bookcase ... this diary fades out to bad ending."

... He looked like 65 when he died. He was a friend of mine.

... And Jim, I miss you more than all the others. This post is for you, my brutha.