Lowell Remembers Hometown Literary Great Kerouac, 50 Years After His Death

October 21, 2019

Bob Shaffer

A beer bottle, cans and other items were left beside the grave of author Jack Kerouac, July 7, 2007 at the Edson Cemetery in Lowell, Mass. (Lisa Poole/AP)

Lowell community members will hold a remembrance service Monday night for writer Jack Kerouac as they mark 50 years since his death.

In this 1967 file photo, author Jack Kerouac is shown in Lowell, Mass. (Stanley Twardowicz/AP File Photo)

The Lowell native died from alcoholism at the age of 47.

He's often remembered as a founding member of the so-called "Beat Generation" writers, having written the novel "On the Road."

Rev. Steve Edington is part of the committee organizing the service.

"In the ensuing 50 years, both in academia and I'd say in the culture at large, he's become recognized now as one of the, as one of the really I think primary literary figures in American literature in the late 20th century," Edington said. "All of his works are out there now."

The service is being held at the Archambault Funeral Home, where Kerouac's wake was held in 1969.

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