Charles R. Cross | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | May 7, 1957 Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Died | August 9, 2024 (aged 67) Shoreline, Washington, U.S. |
| Occupation |
|
| Education | Washington State University Parsons School of Design |
| Period | 1987-2024 |
| Notable works |
|
Charles Richard Cross (May 7, 1957 – August 9, 2024) was an American music journalist, author and editor who was based in Seattle. [1] He documented the Seattle music scene as the editor of The Rocket in Seattle from 1986–2000. [2]
Cross wrote three New York Times bestselllers, including the award-winning 2001 biography of Kurt Cobain, Heavier Than Heaven, and Room Full of Mirrors: A Biography of Jimi Hendrix, which Vibe described as "one of the greatest-ever books on music". [3][4] In addition to writing the 1989 Bruce Springsteen biography, Backstreets: Springsteen, the Man and His Music, he founded Backstreets Magazine, a periodical for Sprinsteen fans. [5]
In 2004, while conducting research for the Hendrix biography, Cross discovered the gravesite of Jimi Hendrix's mother, Lucille Jeter Hendrix, in an abandoned section of Greenwood Memorial Park, where Jimi Hendrix was buried. Her gravesite was lost because the standard welfare marker of her day, an inscribed brick, was buried in decades of mud. [6]
Cross died in Shoreline, Washington on August 9, 2024, at the age of 67.[7][1]
- ^ a b Williams, Alex (August 20, 2024). "Charles R. Cross, Biographer of Cobain and Hendrix, Dies at 67". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 23, 2024.
- ^ Seling, Megan. "Charles R. Cross, Long-Time Editor of Seattle's 'The Rocket,' Has Died". The Stranger. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (August 12, 2024). "Charles Cross, Seattle Author Who Wrote Books on Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix, Dies at 67". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Martoccio, Althea Legaspi (August 12, 2024). "Charles R. Cross, Author of Acclaimed Kurt Cobain and Jimi Hendrix Biographies, Dead at 67". Rolling Stone. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Sabla, Elvin (August 17, 2024). "Bruce Springsteen on the Death of Charles Cross". Bruce Springsteen. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
- ^ Stout, Gene (July 29, 2005). "New Hendrix bio is a very intimate one". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
- ^ Willman, Chris (August 12, 2024). "Charles R. Cross, Music Journalist Who Wrote Heralded Kurt Cobain Biography and Edited Seattle's Alt-Weekly the Rocket, Dies at 67". Variety. Retrieved August 12, 2024.