Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Jim Carroll Had A Heart Attack, He Was 60-Years-Old
By
Billy Parker
Published Sep 14, 2009
Modified Sep 14, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Billy Parker
Published Sep 14, 2009
Modified Sep 14, 2009
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Writer Jim Carroll died of a heart attack Friday while working at his desk inside his Manhattan apartment at age 60. Carroll is most famous for writing The Basketball Diaries, the memoir turned Leonardo DiCaprio movie that chronicles his teenage years at Trinity, where he popped as many pills as he did jumpers. The book paints a colorful and vast portrait of the city from his experiences turning tricks for strangers in the Grand Central Station men's room to jumping off "The Rock" at Inwood Hill Park. Carroll drew the attention of the Beats for his poetry as a young teenager; Patti Smith recalls seeing him in 1970 saying, "Already he was pretty much universally recognized as the best poet of his generation." Smith led Carroll to music, where he released the punk classic Catholic Boy with the Jim Carroll Band (heard in E.T.!). While Diaries garnered Carroll the most attention, he shows why NYC in the '70s is romanticized the way it now is in Forced Entries, his follow-up memoir about working in Warhol's Factory and attempting to get clean. Carroll is survived by a his brother, Tom.
Tagged
70s new york
factory
inwood hill park
jim carroll
patti smith
poetry
the basketball diaries
Billy Parker
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Jersey City mayor shakes up staff amid $255M budget gap
The city’s finance director, deputy mayor for housing, and several other senior officials resigned.
By
Michael Sol Warren
Published Oct 8, 2026 at 2:40 p.m. ET
Bronx residents will be exempt from new Medicaid work rule, state officials say
High unemployment entitles borough residents to a waiver from the new requirement, officials said.
By
Caroline Lewis
News
Bronx residents will be exempt from new Medicaid work rule, state officials say
High unemployment entitles borough residents to a waiver from the new requirement, officials said.
By
Caroline Lewis
MTA chair accuses Andy Byford, who's leading Penn Station rebuild, of going 'full MAGA'
By
Stephen Nessen
and
Carol Chen
NYC parents want affordable childcare. But they don't all want the same thing.
By
Karen Yi
NY gov race pits old immigration playbook against new outrage over data centers
By
Jimmy Vielkind
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .