Overview
- His daughter, Emily Joy Schumacher, confirmed on Jan. 5 that he died on Dec. 29, and no cause of death was disclosed.
- Notable works include Francis Ford Coppola: A Filmmaker’s Life, Crossroads: The Life and Music of Eric Clapton, and Dharma Lion: A Biography of Allen Ginsberg.
- Beyond cultural figures, he documented Great Lakes tragedies such as the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking, the deadly November 1913 storm, and a 1958 Lake Michigan survival story.
- Born in Kansas and long based in Kenosha, Wisconsin, he studied at the University of Wisconsin–Parkside but left one credit shy of a degree.
- He often published as M. Schumacher, worked longhand before typing manuscripts, and was remembered by his family for generosity and a deep love of conversation and stories.