"A New York Treasure" --Village Voice

Our Guy

Our dear friend Richard Ben Cramer died yesterday. Lung cancer. He was 62.

He was–and is–a mensch of the highest order, a good man, as well as a wonderful storyteller.

Here is a small sampling of his work:

“The Strange and Mysterious Death of Mrs. Jerry Lee Lewis” 

“Can the Best Mayor Win?”

“The Ballad of Johnny France”

“What Do You Think of Ted Williams Now?”

“Citizen Ueberroth”

“Men of Honor”

“Know Your Way Home”

“A Native Son’s Thoughts”

Excerpt from his Joe DiMaggio book.

“Serious Business”

There will be more in the coming days. Here is a fine piece on Richard by Jonathan Martin.

Our pal is already sorely missed.

Categories:  1: Featured  Arts and Culture  Obituaries

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8 comments

1 Yankee Mama   ~  Jan 8, 2013 10:33 am

Oh jeez, now him? Love(d) his body of work. RIP

2 Alex Belth   ~  Jan 8, 2013 10:34 am

This is a tough one. He called the apartment one day, I wasn't home, but he got Emily on the phone and talked to her for 20 minutes. She loved him.

3 Sliced Bread   ~  Jan 8, 2013 12:09 pm

Sorry for your loss, Alex, and ours.
Thanks for the links.

4 Diane Firstman   ~  Jan 8, 2013 12:41 pm

My condolences Alex .... I knew how much his friendship meant to you.

5 glennstout   ~  Jan 8, 2013 1:21 pm

Same thing happened when he called me once, Alex - I wasn't home and he talked Siobhan's ear off. Halberstam was the same way. Rushmore's, those two.

6 boston yank   ~  Jan 8, 2013 1:32 pm

I've read bits & pieces over the years about Ted Williams but reading Richard Ben Cramer's piece in Esquire made all of the pieces real. I got the full sense of the man, and it wasn't pretty. Great writing. Same thing with the piece on Jerry Lee Lewis. I read both of these through links I found here, so thanks Alex, and sorry for your loss.

7 Alex Belth   ~  Jan 8, 2013 2:19 pm

6) Thanks but it's our loss. One of the things that stands out is how generous he was when talking about other writers, too. I remember him talking about Pete Dexter once. He said, "That guy is some kind of genius" just marveling at Dexter's gift as if they didn't even play the same sport.

8 The Mick536   ~  Jan 16, 2013 12:35 pm

Irreplaceable. Too young. An eye and an ear for detail. Accurate. Knowledgeable about human behavoir. Respectful. Good humor. Sad.

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"This ain't football. We do this every day."
--Earl Weaver