Jerry Carroll Bledsoe

Award-winning journalist and New York Times bestselling author Jerry Bledsoe passed away on New Year's Eve. He was 84.

Jerry grew up in Thomasville, NC, and graduated from Thomasville High School as the sole member of the class of 1959½ , after having to retake senior English in summer school.

After high school, he enlisted in the Army to pursue his dream of becoming an artist when an Army recruiter assured him the Army had the nation's best art school. His drill sergeant at basic training quickly disabused him of the idea that the Army operated any sort of art school, good or bad.

Jerry's stint in the Army was nevertheless transformative. It instilled in him a lifelong distrust of authority and those in power. He also discovered the power of the written word to expose injustices.

After being freed from the Army, Jerry began his newspaper career after landing a job with The Daily Independent in Kannapolis. He spent most of his career with the Greensboro Daily News (now the News & Record), with stints at the Charlotte Observer, the Louisville Courier-Journal, and the Rhino Times. He was also a contributing editor for Esquire Magazine for several years.

As a journalist and columnist, Jerry developed a reputation for doggedly pursuing the facts, standing up for the underdog, having a sharp wit, and giving voice to those who are usually voiceless. Charles Kuralt, the anchor of CBS News Sunday Morning, called Jerry "North Carolina's listener laureate."

In 1988, Jerry published Bitter Blood, a true crime story about southern family pride, obsessive love, and a bitter custody battle that resulted in multiple murders. Bitter Blood became a national bestseller, spending months at #1 on The New York Times Best Sellers list. The book was also made into a television movie and mini-series.

He is also known for The Angel Doll: A Christmas Story, a heartwarming novella based on an actual event from his childhood. The Angel Doll was made into a movie starring Keith Carradine.

Later in life, Jerry developed a love of gardening and a fondness for caring for stray cats. He also collected North Carolina pottery and developed his "unloved art" collection–original paintings purchased exclusively at thrift stores–selections of which were twice exhibited in gallery showings.

Jerry is survived by friends and family, including his wife of 61 years, Linda, his son, Erik, and his brother, Phil.

He is also survived by his work, 22 books and thousands of columns and stories that make us laugh and make us cry, that expose abuses of power, and that connect us with one another.

A gathering for friends and family will be scheduled for the spring, his favorite season. Those wishing to make a charitable contribution should consider St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.