Charles R. Cross, a Seattle music writer who edited "a local rock bible, during the city's grunge-era flowering in the 1990s, and who wrote acclaimed biographies of two of the city's most venerated musical figures, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain," died August 9, the New York Times reported. He was 67. Cross was the editor of The Rocket magazine from 1986 through 2000, "a period when Seattle bands like Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam redefined rock. It was considered a must-read for musicians looking to join the wave."
Chris Walla, a former member of the band Death Cab for Cutie, posted on social media: "it's impossible to imagine the music or community of seattle in the 80s and 90s without charles r. cross. he influenced or enabled practically every story, relationship, and musicians wanted ad in the city for decades. i'm eternally grateful. may his name be a blessing."
Cross also turned his self-produced fanzine into Backstreets Magazine, a trove of Bruce Springsteen arcana. At a recent concert in Pittsburgh, Springsteen paid tribute to Cross, telling the audience that his "help in communicating between our band and our fans will be sorely missed" before launching into his song "Backstreets."
The first of his nine books, Backstreets: Springsteen, the Man and His Music (1989), was followed two years later by Led Zeppelin: Heaven and Hell, an illustrated history that he wrote with Erik Flannigan, with photographs by Neal Preston.
His 2001 Cobain biography, Heavier Than Heaven, was based on more than 400 interviews, as well as Cobain's private journals and other materials provided by his widow, Courtney Love. The book received ASCAP's Timothy White Award for outstanding musical biography in 2002.
Room Full of Mirrors (2005), Cross's biography of Hendrix, was called one of the best music books ever written by Vibe magazine. He also collaborated with Ann and Nancy Wilson of the band Heart, who grew up in the Seattle area, on Kicking & Dreaming: A Story of Heart, Soul, and Rock & Roll (2012).
"His passion and purpose was to make it his life’s work to celebrate and chronicle the beautiful global renaissance that started with our local Seattle music scene," Nancy Wilson posted on social media. "Charley was the coolest rock literati bookworm to ever be lucky enough to know. And all us cool rock people got to feel even cooler to know him and call him a friend.... Charley was our trusty biographer and implicitly trusted friend.... Rest in wit and wisdom dear fine feathered friend."