Tom Robbins Has Died

Best-selling author Tom Robbins, whose works include Skinny Legs and All, Jitterbug Perfume, and Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, has died. Robbins passed away “peacefully” surrounded by loved ones on Sunday, Feb. 9, his wife, Alexa Robbins, announced on Facebook. A cause of death was not disclosed, but Alexa said the famed author had been in hospice care. He was 92.

“My beloved Tom peacefully passed away. He was surrounded by his family and loyal pets,” Alexa said. “Throughout these difficult last chapters, he was brave, funny and sweet. Tom was cared for by his loved ones, devoted caregivers and Hospice of the Northwest.”

The post continued, “I’m grateful Tom lived as long as he did. He had an eternally youthful spirit. People thought he was my elder. He really was the kid. Because of his sense of play, he didn’t want a somber service. He asked that people remember him by reading his books.”

Born and raised in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, Robbins worked as an editor, reporter, and critic for newspapers in Richmond and Seattle before turning his attention to authoring books in the ‘70s, per The Guardian. His debut novel, Another Roadside Attraction, was published in 1971 and spun a tale of how Jesus’s mummified remains were stolen from the Vatican and wound up at a hot dog stand in the Northwest. The book received critical praise, and was followed five years later by Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, which centered around Sissy Hankshaw, a hitchhiker with 9-inch thumbs. The book was later adapted into a movie in 1993 starring Uma Thurman, Lorraine Bracco and Keanu Reeves.

Pronouncing himself blessed with “crazy wisdom,” Robbins went on to publish six more books throughout his career – 1980’s Still Life with Woodpecker, 1984’s Jitterbug Perfume, 1990’s Skinny Legs and All, 1994’s Half Asleep in Frog Pajamas, 2000’s Fierce Invalids Home from Hot Climates, and 2003’s Villa Incognito – as well as the 2014 memoir Tibetan Peach Pie. He also the 2009 novella B is for Beer and the 2005 essay collection Wild Ducks Flying Backward.

His wife said Robbins’ “spirit will live on in his novels, our museum, library and animal rescue. Two children’s art programs have been established in his honor. As I steward his novels into the future, I will continue to support our shared values. His message of hope and ‘joy in spite of everything’ is even more valuable today. If you open one of his novels, you’ll still find him there. He’ll be laughing, dancing and sharing his crazy wisdom with you.”

Robbins is survived by his wife and their three children.