Jim Bessman Tragic Cause of Death Revealed: Music Journalist Battling In Rehab Facility, Was 68
Jim Bessman, a music journalist who spent 20 years in contributing pieces for Billboard Magazine as well as other websites such as Cash Box and Variety, has died at the age of 68.
Per The Hollywood Reporter, Bob Merilis, the former Warner Bros. Records publicist and longtime friend, confirmed Bessman's cause of death was aneurysm.
The journalist also suffered from COVID-19 late last year; he stayed in a rehab facility in Manhattan for his sacroiliitis, and his peers expected that he would recover.
He's been struggling with the illness in his final days as he's learning how to walk again.
According to Variety, Bessman was born on July 19, 1952; he spent his early days in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, then later moved to Madison, where he grew up.
He dropped out at an early age to write pieces for local papers in the 1970s to 1980s; he also became a contributor for Variety between those years.
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Bessman pursued more careers when he moved to New York as he started working for Cashbox and Billboard, where he wrote a handful of concert reviews, musician profiles, and more. His work skyrocketed when he was hired by the late legendary editor Timothy White.
He spent his final years working for the Songwriters Hall of Fame, where he did numerous backstage interviews.
Besides being a music journalist, Bessman was also a writer and had two published books- "The Ramones - An American Band" and "John Mellencamp - The Concert at Walter Reed"- under his belt.
Fans and peers paid tribute
Following the devastating news, Bessman's fans and peers in the industry paid their tributes on social media.
"Don't know if I will ever adjust to @JimBessman passing....part of his magic was his presence everywhere so in that sense he won't ever be gone. Really so heartbreaking but I think I will keep tweeting to him for some time to come," one wrote.
RIP Jim Bessman. pic.twitter.com/H5cXmMOvro
— Robert Nedelkoff (@robtned) June 22, 2021
"@JimBessman, a terrifically decent person, a rare honorable journalist and an old friend, beloved by many in the entertainment community, has taken a trip to interview Elvis." another user wrote.
"We are so, so sad to share the news that former Nominating Committee member and recent guest on our show Jim Bessman has passed away. We're so fortunate we had the chance to talk to him, and our thoughts and love go out to his friends and family." one tweeted.
Before his death, he has been very active on Twitter as he interacts with many fans.
Jim Bessman was survived by his brother and sister.
