Eddie Little(1954-2003)
- Writer
Drug addict, armed robber, burglar, con man, convict, "outlaw author,"
and, for a time, hot Hollywood property, Eddie Little wrote first-hand
about the underworld with remarkable authenticity and literary force.
Despite being a grade school drop-out, Little's first novel,
Another Day in Paradise (1998),
was published to acclaim and was made into a major movie starring
James Woods and
Melanie Griffith. His writing has been
hailed as "an unforgettable plunge into the brutal universe of
hard-core outlaws" (Details) and "reminiscent of Hunter Thompson and
William Burroughs" (The New York Times Book Review).
Born in 1955, Eddie Little was one of three children raised poor near downtown Los Angeles. His abusive father taught him to read by bending his arm behind his back to correct his mistakes. Despite this, Little learned to love reading. Bright-but-difficult, he was a rebellious thrill-seeker at an early age.
At 10, Little sniffed glue and got high for the first time, beginning a life-long love affair with dope: "As soon as my consciousness was altered, that's all I wanted to do." At 12, he ran away from home. At 14, he hid in a crawlspace for eleven hours until he and an accomplice could loot a doctor's office for cash and pills. At 15, he was arrested for robbing drugstores and underwent heroin withdrawal behind bars.
Little was sent to the Indiana Youth Center, allegedly one of the nation's last reform schools to officially use corporal punishment. He spent two years there until he escaped to Boston, where an older thief became his mentor in crime. Little pulled armed robberies, burglaries, and scams. He shot heroin round-the-clock and abused pharmaceutical narcotics, which he strong-armed from drugstores. He was living in style.
Then, Little got into a vicious, blood-drenched bar fight with a local bully and former pro wrestler. He received a savage beating but gave his much larger assailant the business end of a broken beer bottle. He was charged with attempted murder and earned a stay in Massachusetts' Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for observation.
Little was able to return to California. Infatuated with L.A.'s bright lights, he resumed the cycle of dope and crime. Then, he crashed his Harley, crushing his right leg from the knee down. He was left on crutches, his right leg an inch shorter than his left.
Broke and shoplifting to survive, Little took a telemarketing job in a semi-legitimate "boiler room" operation. Among other fast-talking con men, Little proved a natural at selling merchandise to people over the phone, whether they needed it or not. Back in the chips, he got a leg operation that allowed him to lose the crutches and walk with only a slight limp. But his drug habit was now $400-$500 a day.
Little spent most of 1982 in L.A. County jail on burglary charges. The judge believed Little was more a born criminal and con man than a poor, suffering addict, and sentenced him to six years. Little served three. It was in prison that he began writing the book that would become his ticket to a better life, "Another Day in Paradise."
After his release, Little met a beautiful woman, had a baby girl, and lived in a penthouse in Marina del Ray. Little became involved in various types of marketing and soon became known to various law enforcement agencies. He found a partner and they produced two movies under the Chariot 7 banner including Liberty & Bash and Woman of the Port, which was invited to the Cannes, New York and Toronto Film Festivals, with Little handling the raising of funds to produce both movies.
The Feds arrested Little for fraud in 1992. His previous incarceration convinced him that prison wasn't for him. Ravaged by drugs, Little suffered a stroke and was checked into rehab. He accepted a plea deal and ratted out his partner, who got eight years in prison, while Eddie skated away with three years' probation. (Six years later, Little claimed he was still receiving death threats.)
Little was working as a bouncer and furniture mover when his fictionalized account of his youthful criminal apprenticeship, "Another Day in Paradise," was published to strong reviews. Late in 1998, the film version was released. Directed by Larry Clark, Another Day in Paradise (1998) starred James Woods, as Eddie's real-life criminal mentor, and Melanie Griffith. Eighteen-year-old newcomer Vincent Kartheiser, now better known as "Pete Campbell" on the hit AMC series Mad Men (2007), portrayed "Bobbie Prine"/Eddie Little.
When the Washington Post profiled Little in May, 1998, he was on probation and discussing offers with media executives who were enthralled by his charming, streetwise persona and life story. Little signed two screen writing deals, and began writing a column called "Outlaw L.A." for the alternative newspaper L.A. Weekly. It earned him Columnist of the Year by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. But opinions differed as to whether, at age 43, Little was sincerely trying to overcome a lifetime of crime and drug addiction or whether he was just a charming sociopath "taking a vacation from crime" (which he denied) for as long as his Hollywood gig lasted.
In Europe to promote "Another Day in Paradise," Little began using drugs again while visiting Amsterdam. In Los Angeles on November 2, 1998, a 911 call summoned police to Little's apartment. Stoned and brandishing a steak knife, Little was booked on charges that could have imprisoned him for life under the three-strikes law. Released on $80,000 bail after 19 days in L.A County jail, Little plead not guilty and entered a six-month rehab. At the time, he had completed his second novel, "Steel Toes" (2001), and was working on his third novel, as well as a screenplay.
But Little could not seem to escape the bad habits of his past. Back on drugs, he was reduced to a hand-to-mouth existence. In 2003, he died of a heart attack, alone and broke, in a cheap Los Angeles motel. Eddie Little was 48.
Several memorial services were said to be planned in his name.
Born in 1955, Eddie Little was one of three children raised poor near downtown Los Angeles. His abusive father taught him to read by bending his arm behind his back to correct his mistakes. Despite this, Little learned to love reading. Bright-but-difficult, he was a rebellious thrill-seeker at an early age.
At 10, Little sniffed glue and got high for the first time, beginning a life-long love affair with dope: "As soon as my consciousness was altered, that's all I wanted to do." At 12, he ran away from home. At 14, he hid in a crawlspace for eleven hours until he and an accomplice could loot a doctor's office for cash and pills. At 15, he was arrested for robbing drugstores and underwent heroin withdrawal behind bars.
Little was sent to the Indiana Youth Center, allegedly one of the nation's last reform schools to officially use corporal punishment. He spent two years there until he escaped to Boston, where an older thief became his mentor in crime. Little pulled armed robberies, burglaries, and scams. He shot heroin round-the-clock and abused pharmaceutical narcotics, which he strong-armed from drugstores. He was living in style.
Then, Little got into a vicious, blood-drenched bar fight with a local bully and former pro wrestler. He received a savage beating but gave his much larger assailant the business end of a broken beer bottle. He was charged with attempted murder and earned a stay in Massachusetts' Bridgewater State Hospital for the Criminally Insane for observation.
Little was able to return to California. Infatuated with L.A.'s bright lights, he resumed the cycle of dope and crime. Then, he crashed his Harley, crushing his right leg from the knee down. He was left on crutches, his right leg an inch shorter than his left.
Broke and shoplifting to survive, Little took a telemarketing job in a semi-legitimate "boiler room" operation. Among other fast-talking con men, Little proved a natural at selling merchandise to people over the phone, whether they needed it or not. Back in the chips, he got a leg operation that allowed him to lose the crutches and walk with only a slight limp. But his drug habit was now $400-$500 a day.
Little spent most of 1982 in L.A. County jail on burglary charges. The judge believed Little was more a born criminal and con man than a poor, suffering addict, and sentenced him to six years. Little served three. It was in prison that he began writing the book that would become his ticket to a better life, "Another Day in Paradise."
After his release, Little met a beautiful woman, had a baby girl, and lived in a penthouse in Marina del Ray. Little became involved in various types of marketing and soon became known to various law enforcement agencies. He found a partner and they produced two movies under the Chariot 7 banner including Liberty & Bash and Woman of the Port, which was invited to the Cannes, New York and Toronto Film Festivals, with Little handling the raising of funds to produce both movies.
The Feds arrested Little for fraud in 1992. His previous incarceration convinced him that prison wasn't for him. Ravaged by drugs, Little suffered a stroke and was checked into rehab. He accepted a plea deal and ratted out his partner, who got eight years in prison, while Eddie skated away with three years' probation. (Six years later, Little claimed he was still receiving death threats.)
Little was working as a bouncer and furniture mover when his fictionalized account of his youthful criminal apprenticeship, "Another Day in Paradise," was published to strong reviews. Late in 1998, the film version was released. Directed by Larry Clark, Another Day in Paradise (1998) starred James Woods, as Eddie's real-life criminal mentor, and Melanie Griffith. Eighteen-year-old newcomer Vincent Kartheiser, now better known as "Pete Campbell" on the hit AMC series Mad Men (2007), portrayed "Bobbie Prine"/Eddie Little.
When the Washington Post profiled Little in May, 1998, he was on probation and discussing offers with media executives who were enthralled by his charming, streetwise persona and life story. Little signed two screen writing deals, and began writing a column called "Outlaw L.A." for the alternative newspaper L.A. Weekly. It earned him Columnist of the Year by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. But opinions differed as to whether, at age 43, Little was sincerely trying to overcome a lifetime of crime and drug addiction or whether he was just a charming sociopath "taking a vacation from crime" (which he denied) for as long as his Hollywood gig lasted.
In Europe to promote "Another Day in Paradise," Little began using drugs again while visiting Amsterdam. In Los Angeles on November 2, 1998, a 911 call summoned police to Little's apartment. Stoned and brandishing a steak knife, Little was booked on charges that could have imprisoned him for life under the three-strikes law. Released on $80,000 bail after 19 days in L.A County jail, Little plead not guilty and entered a six-month rehab. At the time, he had completed his second novel, "Steel Toes" (2001), and was working on his third novel, as well as a screenplay.
But Little could not seem to escape the bad habits of his past. Back on drugs, he was reduced to a hand-to-mouth existence. In 2003, he died of a heart attack, alone and broke, in a cheap Los Angeles motel. Eddie Little was 48.
Several memorial services were said to be planned in his name.