I Can’t Remember If I Cried: Rock Widows on Life, Love and Legacy

Tucker-Sullivan provides 14 spellbinding and inspiring portraits drawn from meticulous research and extensive personal conversations with the widows of musicians who died after an illness or an accident. These women—spouses and partners of Dee Dee Ramone, George Jones, Jim Croce, Warren Zevon, Keith Moon, Marc Bolan, Gram Parsons, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Scott Weiland, Levon Helm, and Harry Chapin, among others—discuss their grief, stress, and oppressive legal and financial complications. Tucker-Sullivan’s loss of her own husband after a marriage steeped in a mutual love of music created a bond with her subjects and opened a path to deeper sharing. Expertly weaving together anecdotal and biographical details, candid interview material, and perceptive commentary, the book captures the essence of each woman’s journey through hardships, joys, the toll of being in the spotlight, and emotions ranging from despair and anger to gratitude and love. Carefully exploring how these women turned their grief into positive action, including creating memorial legacies and helping others, Tucker-Sullivan illuminates their courageous movement forward with their own lives.