Jay J. Armes (1932–2024), famous private investigator
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2 min readJay J. Armes was a private investigator from Texas who became famous thanks to his unusual cases, prosthetic hands, offbeat lifestyle, and action figure made in his likeness.
- Died: September 19, 2024 (Who else died on September 19?)
- Details of death: Died at the age of 92.
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Jay J. Armes’ legacy
Julian Armes, better known to the world as Jay J. Armes, was 11 years old when he and a friend swiped two torpedo sticks from a railroad facility near El Paso, Texas. They detonated in both of Armes’ hands, leading to their amputation above his wrists. The youngster forged on, graduating high school at 15, eventually taking correspondence courses at New York University and earning degrees in criminology and psychology. He simultaneously was under contract as an actor in Hollywood, signed to Twentieth Century-Fox for six years.
As an adult, Armes had a wide-ranging career that included serving two terms as a city councilman, having his likeness turned into a popular action figure, and most notably, a long, storied career as a private detective. Based in El Paso, his agency, The Investigators, often took on attention-grabbing cases. Among them was the 1972 kidnapping of actor Marlon Brando’s (1924–2004) son.
Armes was inducted into the Investigator's Hall of Fame in 1998, over 20 years after being named one of People magazine’s 25 most intriguing people in 1975. In 1976, the year Ideal Toy Company released his action figure and its accessories, Armes’ life was chronicled in the autobiography, “Jay J. Armes, Investigator.” According to his son, Jay J. Armes III, he was also a car enthusiast and a wild animal tamer, and he raised exotic animals as a hobby, including a cheetah, cougar, and tapir.
Tributes to Jay J. Armes
Full obituary: El Paso Times
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