Jim Marrs dead of heart attack

[Dawn Meredith]

Sad news for the JFK assassination research community. Jim died this morning of a heart attack. RIP to a good man.
Dawn

[Jim DiEugenio]

Really too bad. Probably because of all his other ailments put too much strain on his heart.

Crossfire is a valuable book.

ANd Jim was a really good guy.

[Peter Lemkin]

Wow, really sad news. Crossfire was one of the classic books and took a somewhat unique posture of asking questions when Jim didn't have a sure answer [although he did for most of the 'case']. He was famous for his class on the JFK Assassination and its infamous disruption by 'Gary Mack'. In his class he not only taught about the case, but often had original witnesses come in and speak to the students. Jim really knew the case from A to Z and knew many of the first and second generation researchers. We all saw him multiple times at the conventions in Dallas. I knew Jim personally, and was twice at his rather unique home in Texas. One of his hobbies other than JFKanalia was the collection of Civil War weapons and uniforms. His house was surrounded by Civil War canons and they all pointed out away from his house. Some, he assured me worked and he was ready to defend his home with them, if needed. When I came across Tosh Plumlee and Plumlee's story of being in Dallas on 11/22/63 I interested Jim in being a co-author and co-researcher with me into Plumlee's tale, its veracity, and eventually a book on Plumlee's life. During that time, Jim flew to my place in CA a few times and I to meet him and others in TX about Plumlee's story and the JFK case generally. We were in close contact then, and we stayed in contact over the years after, as well. The book never happened due to Plumlee pulling out after a certain point - perhaps because Jim, and especially I, sometimes questioned his interpretation and/or the details of his scenario. Jim introduced me to a number of top shelf JFK researchers who I went on to become friends and research colleagues with. He was one of the first to write a book on how 9.11.01 was not anything close to the 'official story'...in fact quite the opposite. It is very sad indeed to hear that he has died! Someone please post the obituaries on this thread. He started out as a newspaper journalist. His beard &mustache, Texas twang and trademark hat, as well as his wisdom and help on all things JFK Assassination will always be remembered. RIP Jim, and thanks!!!! We have lost a very good man on JFK. I'll probably have more to say after the reality sinks in. Very sad news.

[Peter Lemkin]

To be honest, I'm more than a bit surprised that few have had anything to say about the passing of Jim Marrs. Is it because we have lost most of the cohort who knew him or were his age contemporaries? Is it because Jim also pursued some rather esoteric topics? [Some I personally did not subscribe to, but it NEVER interfered with his JFK research in any way]. Jim, as some of you know, not only knew many to most of the Dallas witnesses, but even had been several times to Ruby's nightclubs and knew of Jada and the other stippers before the assassination, etc. He introduced me to Jack White [and we developed a great friendship and working relationship until his death], to Penn Jones, to Gary Shaw and many witnesses and others. If he knew and trusted you, he did not hesitate to help. While he earned his living on his JFK and other investigations and books/lectures, he was generous with his time and help [unlike many researchers I could list]. In the middle of our trying to make sense [sic] of the Plumlee version of events leading up to and happening in Dallas, and the aftermath, I paid for Jim and Tosh to fly to meet and elusive CIA man under Military cover - a Colonel, then living under a false name in Florida. I did not come along, as I was pursuing another lead with Brad Ayers. I had paid for their tickets and produced a rouse to get to interview the elusive Col. No one else was told of the travels or our objective. They had to change planes somewhere in Atlanta [perhaps, I forget exactly]. When they got off their initial flights to change to the same flight to their destination they were met by one Gus Russo [who I had never met nor talked to]. Russo told them at the airport that I had OK'd his tagging along [absolutely false and yet another proof if any more are needed that Russo had by then moved to the dark side]. Jim and Tosh had no reason to doubt this and did not contact me to confirm [a BIG mistake]. So our meeting with the Col. was infiltrated by and intelligence asset or informer.

Jim and I often had encrypted and sometimes open phone conversations and emails on Tosh's 'story' and what we believed of it and what we did not - and how best to resolve these and other matters. Plumlee was a tough one to deal with at times [most of the time] and wanted researchers to just believe everything he said [much of it provably true] no matter how much our previous research knowledge and instincts told us it could not be true or fully true as told.

I got an email from Tosh yesterday about Jim's death in response to mine to Tosh, and Tosh went into his usual rant on how 'you researchers twist the facts to fit your theories and political objectives' - one I've heard from him a thousand times. He also added once again that he no longer answered questions to researchers or worked with them on any matters. I find this sad and unethical, considering I paid him a large amount of money for travel and survival - as well as more to try to validate his story - for which I get zero thanks - as I didn't in the end believe all and had serious doubts about others.

Jim shared most of my questions and doubts on Tosh, but in later years they maintained a separate dialogue and Tosh and I had mine, after the coordinated book project fell apart. I think Jim and I both felt that the 'Plumlee story' contained both truths and disinformation / false leads to take researchers down blind alleys. I know for sure my participation in the project destroyed my life at a certain time, but that is a whole other topic and complex.

The full story of that research effort and what it turned up has not been written and perhaps before I too leave the scene I'll write it up, as there are many interesting details that provide light on other aspects of the case and the players - both operative and researchers and researcher infiltrators, etc.

Our research team expanded to include contributions from many good researchers including, but not only: Jack White, Tom Wilson, Jim Garrison, Bill Turner, Brad Ayers and many others.

[Peter Lemkin]

This from Jim's wife...

Peter, thank you so much for your kind words, Carol

JIM MARRS was born December 5, 1943 in Ft Worth, Texas. He died from a heart attack August 2, 2017 at his home in Wise County. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Carol, his two daughters, Cathryn Lafitte of Fort Worth, Jayme Castle and her husband, Chris Castle, his brother David and wife Sandy of Bridgeport, and grandchildren, Moxy, Jackson, and Scout.
Jim Marrs earned a degree in journalism from the University of North Texas and attended graduate school at Texas Tech in Lubbock. He has worked for several Texas newspapers, including the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Beginning in1976 until his retirement in 2007, Marrs taught a course on the assassination of President John F. Kennedy at the University of Texas at Arlington. In 1989, his book, Crossfire: The Plot That Killed Kennedy, was published to critical acclaim and reached the New York Times Paperback Non-Fiction Best Seller List. It became a basis for the Oliver Stone film JFK.
Other books by Marrs include Alien Agenda (1997) which was the top-selling non-fiction UFO book in the world, Rule by Secrecy (2000), The Terror Conspiracy Revisited (2007), The Rise of the Fourth Reich, (2008) and The Trillion-Dollar Conspiracy (2010), Our Occulted History (2013), Population Control (2015), and his last book The Illuminati (2017).
Marrs has appeared on ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, CSPAN, and the Discovery, Learning and History Channels; Good Morning America, Geraldo, Montel Williams, Today, Tech TV and Larry King Live; and the George Noory, Art Bell, Jimmy Church, Alex Jones and Jeff Rense programs, and many other local and regional programs.

[Magda Hassan]

A well loved man who lived a good life and made the very most of it. His family plan on giving him a great send off by the looks of it. Condolences to his family and friends. A big loss.

[Alan Ford]

Oh, dear Lord. A note of thanks & appreciation to a decent human being for daring to stand up and be counted on the side of truth and justice.

[Jim DiEugenio]

BTW, Len Osanic has a very nice tribute show for him. Go to BOR and listen.

Here you go:

http://www.blackopradio.com/pod/black846.mp3

[Peter Lemkin]

http://www.blackopradio.com/pod/black846.mp3

Everything that John Armstrong and the others had to say about Jim [and Jack White] is true and not an exaggeration in any way.
Listening jogged my memory to several things. Several times I had the privilege of having Jim drive me around Dallas to see the various places and homes of the players in the Assassination drama...and he knew it backward and forward. Also, the many witnesses Jim developed that had been hiding in the shadows before Jim's work with them and many of them were important, such as Gordon Arnold, to name but one of many many others. While most JFK researchers tend to gravitate to one or a few special aspects, Jim Marrs truly was a generalist in the best sense and knew the grand scope of the case and could fit in new information and new witnesses into the existing knowledge base as well as or better than others. While Jim worked with and know many of the better researchers, he worked very closely with Jack White for a very long time. Whenever I needed an intro to some researcher I didn't know, Jim often knew them and gave me their contact information or passed them mine. He was always working to advance the case and did not get into the petty infighting that so many others did. We really lost a giant in the JFK field and I personally lost a close friend and someone I had long worked with. Fare Thee Well Jim, I think we knew each other for over 27 or 28 years.

[Peter Lemkin]

Very sad that Carol Marrs [Jim's widow] is auctioning some of Jim's famous fedora hats on ebay to pay medical bills [the horrible medical situation in the USA!!! where an illness can destroy a family financially]. Sigh.....