Bill Zehme (October 28, 1958 – March 26, 2023) was an American author who was known for his writing on music and popular culture. He collaborated on books with such celebrities as

Regis Philbin Regis Francis Xavier Philbin ( ; August 25, 1931 – July 25, 2020)Archived aGhostarchiveand thWayback Machine was an American television presenter, comedian, actor, and singer. Once called "the hardest-working man in show business", he held th ...

Jay Leno James Douglas Muir Leno ( ; born April 28, 1950) is an American television host, comedian, and writer. After doing stand-up comedy for years, he became the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Tonight Show'' from 1992 until 200 ...

, and

Hugh Hefner Hugh Marston Hefner (April 9, 1926 – September 27, 2017) was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of ''Playboy'' magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles. Hefner extended the ''Playboy ...

. His articles appeared in ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'', ''Esquire'', ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' (stylized in all caps) is an American men's Lifestyle journalism, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, available both online and in print. It was founded in Chicago in 1953 by Hugh Hefner and his associates, funded in part by a $ ...

'', and '' Vanity Fair''. He won a National Magazine award in 2004 for his profile of newspaper columnist Bob Greene.

Early life and education

Zehme grew up in

South Holland, Illinois South Holland is a village and south suburb of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States, within Thornton Township. The population was 21,465 at the 2020 census. It is named after the Dutch province of South Holland. History The area ...

, attending

Thornwood High School Thornwood High School is a public high school located in South Holland, Illinois, United States. It was built as part of Thornton Township High School District 205. It opened in 1971 to accommodate overcrowding at other District 205 schools, Tho ...

and graduating from

Loyola University Loyola University is one of several Jesuit Universities named for St. Ignatius of Loyola. Loyola University may refer to: Democratic Republic of the Congo *Loyola University of Congo, Kinshasa, Congo Spain * Loyola University Andalusia, Sevilla ...

in 1980.

Work

Zehme's first book, written with Bonnie Schiffman, was 1991's ''The Rolling Stone Book of Comedy''. Five years later, Zehme conducted the last major interview of

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

’s life, publishing a piece in ''Esquire''s March 1996 issue on Sinatra and the

Rat Pack The Rat Pack was an informal group of singers that, in its second iteration, ultimately made films and appeared together in Las Vegas casino venues. They originated in the late 1940s and early 1950s as a group of A-list show business friends, s ...

("And Then There Was One"). This he extended to a full-length book, ''The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin’'' (1997). Zehme's other books include ''Intimate Strangers'', ''Lost in the Funhouse'', and ''Carson the Magnificent,'' which was completed posthumously by Zehme's “first-ever research assistant” Mike Thomas and published in 2024. Zehme's work on the biography of late-night talk show host

Johnny Carson John William Carson (October 23, 1925 – January 23, 2005) was an American television host, comedian, and writer best known as the host of NBC's ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' (1962–1992). Carson is a cultural phenomenon and w ...

began in 2002, when Carson granted Zehme the only interview he granted after he retired, an interview which then appeared in Esquire magazine. A contract with Simon & Schuster originally called for a 2007 release, but Zehme's work continued for years and stopped only after his diagnosis and treatment for a fatal cancer. Zehme appears alongside Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in a bonus feature interview accompanying the DVD collection ''

Playboy After Dark ''Playboy After Dark'' is an American television show hosted by Hugh Hefner. It aired in syndication through Screen Gems from 1969 to 1970 and was taped at CBS Television City in Los Angeles. Overview ''Playboy After Dark'' followed much the s ...

'' (2006).

Selected works

(all works by Bill Zehme unless noted) *''The Rolling Stone Book of Comedy''... Bonnie Schiffman and Bill Zehme (1991) *''I'm Only One Man''... Regis Philbin and Bill Zehme (1995) *''Leading with My Chin''... Jay Leno and Bill Zehme (1996) *''The Way You Wear Your Hat: Frank Sinatra and the Lost Art of Livin (1997) *''Who Wants to Be Me?''... Regis Philbin and Bill Zehme (2000) *''Intimate Strangers: Comic Profiles and Indiscretions of the Very Famous'' (2002) *''Hef's Little Black Book''... Hugh Hefner and Bill Zehme (2004) *''Lost in the Funhouse: The Life and Mind of Andy Kaufman'' (2009) *''Carson the Magnificent'' with Mike Thomas (2024)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zehme, Bill 1958 births 2023 deaths American writers American journalists Writers from Chicago