Jerry Hopkins facts for kids

Jerry Hopkins (born November 9, 1935 – died June 3, 2018) was an American writer and journalist. He was famous for writing the first biographies of music legends like Elvis Presley and Jim Morrison from the band The Doors. Jerry Hopkins also worked for 20 years as a writer for Rolling Stone magazine. He wrote many other biographies, history books, and funny stories. He also worked as a writer and producer for TV personalities such as Mike Wallace and Steve Allen. Jerry Hopkins published 36 books and about a thousand magazine articles. His books have been translated into 16 languages and sold over 6 million copies worldwide.

About Jerry Hopkins

His Early Life

Jerry Hopkins was born on November 9, 1935, in Camden, New Jersey. He grew up in a nearby town called Haddonfield. This town was started by Quakers. His parents owned a dry cleaning business.

School Days

Jerry went to a Quaker school until the 6th grade. After that, he attended public schools until he finished high school. He earned a bachelor's degree in journalism from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Virginia, in 1957. For a short time, he worked as a reporter for a newspaper in North Carolina. He also served in the US Army briefly. Later, he earned a master's degree in journalism from Columbia University in New York in 1959.

Starting His Career

While studying at Columbia, Jerry wrote articles for Village Voice magazine. After graduating, he worked as a reporter for a newspaper and as a news editor for a radio station in New Orleans from 1959 to 1961. He then joined Mike Wallace as a writer and producer in New York for one year. From 1962 to 1964, he worked in Los Angeles as a writer and producer for Steve Allen. He also wrote and produced TV shows for other networks. During this time, he wrote his first books. One was called Bare Feet and Good Things to Eat (1965). The other was a funny book about astrology called You Were Born on a Rotten Day (1969).

Becoming a Famous Writer

In the mid-1960s, Jerry Hopkins left television work. He became the Los Angeles correspondent for Rolling Stone magazine from 1967 to 1969. He wrote many articles and columns for different newspapers. He also edited a collection of writings called The Hippie Papers (1968). In 1970, he wrote a book about the history of rock and roll called The Rock Story.

In 1969, he took a break from Rolling Stone to write Elvis: A Biography, which came out in 1971. Later, while working as Rolling Stone's London correspondent in 1972, he started researching his book about Jim Morrison. This book, No One Here Gets Out Alive, was turned down by over 30 publishers. But when it was finally published in 1980, it became a bestseller. Many people believe this book helped bring back interest in The Doors. It also started a new trend of writing biographies about rock stars. Jerry then wrote a follow-up to his Elvis book, Elvis: The Final Years (1981). He also wrote biographies about other famous people like Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie.

Life in Hawaii and Thailand

Jerry Hopkins later moved to Honolulu, Hawaii. There, he edited a newsletter about Hawaiian music and dance. He also published several books about Hawaiian culture. These included The Hula (1981), which was a history book. He also wrote How to Make Your Own Hawaiian Musical Instruments (1988) and Elvis in Hawaii (2002). He even wrote a book about the famous Hawaiian singer Don Ho, called Don Ho: My Life, My Music (2007).

In 1993, Jerry moved to Thailand. He wrote for many travel, food, and airline magazines there. He worked with a photographer on a book called Strange Foods: An Epicurean Adventure Around the World (1999). This book was later expanded and reissued as Extreme Cuisine (2004). He also wrote Bangkok Babylon (2005), which was about Westerners living in Thailand. Another book, Thailand Confidential (2005), was a collection of his stories and essays.

Family Life

Jerry Hopkins had two grown children, Erin and Nick, with his second wife. He also had six grandchildren. He married Lamyai in 2003, who is from Thailand. They divided their time between an apartment in Bangkok and a house and farm near the Cambodian border.

His Final Years

Jerry Hopkins passed away on June 3, 2018, in Bangkok, Thailand. He was 82 years old and died from heart failure.