Poet, author, and musician Jim Carroll passed away from a heart attack this weekend while working at his desk. Known best for the autobiographical book and film The Basketball Diaries, Carroll turned his personal struggles into art with tremendous amounts of humor and honesty, but somehow staying out of overearnest territory.

Howie Klein sums it up well at his place:

Jim led a poet's life, a beatnik's life, a free spirit's life. He died in his home in New York City on Friday. He left the world a better and a more beautiful place by his brief presence.

The Jim Carroll's band's 1980 single "People Who Died" is his best and most widely known musical work, but is merely a skinny slice of his very rich body of work over the years. Enjoy.

(The 50 State Strategy post has been moved to tomorrow)