Oregon Department of Corrections photo of James Fogle, 1968
SEATTLE (AP) — The man who wrote "Drugstore Cowboy," an autobiographical
crime novel that led to an acclaimed 1989 film starring Matt Dillon, has died at
age 75.
A state corrections spokeswoman says James Fogle died Thursday at a prison
in Monroe, Wash., where he was serving time for holding up a pharmacy in a
Seattle suburb in 2010. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s office on
Friday says Fogle died of probable malignant mesothelioma.
The Seattle Times reports that Fogle had already spent half his life in prison
when he wrote "Drugstore Cowboy," based on his experiences in a band of
addicts who roamed the Pacific Northwest robbing pharmacies to feed their
addictions.
Filmmaker Gus Van Sant turned the novel into the acclaimed 1989 film. It
was filmed mainly around Portland, Oregon, including in an area in the
Pearl District that used to be a rail yard
Director Gus Van Sant
I spent a day with James Fogle. I was about 6 months preggo with my son, and had no idea who he was. After my son was born, James was arrested and I saw his picture pop up on the news and was like…. HOLY CRAP! My fiancé was working on a vehicle of his friends. He was at his main job that day, and James stopped in to check progress, and I was home, and spent the afternoon in the shop with him. Crazy story. He couldn’t have been a nicer guy. He quoted poems and told funny stories. He was adorable. It’s an interesting story for my sons baby book.