Joe Cole

Actor. He is best remembered for his role of Tex Watson in the movie “The Book of Manson” (1989).  The son of movie actor Dennis Cole and Sally Bergeron Cole, Joe Cole was a minor actor just beginning his career, and had first appeared in the movie “Weatherman ’69” (1989).  He continued to draw small roles, in such movies as “Sir Drone” (1989) and “Citizen Tania” (1989).  Since his acting roles came few and far between, he worked primarily on the road crew of the punk band Black Flag (1976 – 1986), and when that band broke up in 1986, he joined the new band formed by Black Flag’s lead singer, Henry Rollins, known as the Rollins Band (1986 – present).  He and Henry Rollins were close friends, and the two men lived in the same house in Los Angeles to save money.  On December 19, 1991, the two men were robbed at gunpoint in their house, and Joe Cole was shot in the head, killing him instantly.  To date (2006), the crime remains unsolved. After his death, a made-for-television movie, “Bay City Story” (1992) was released using scenes with Joe Cole that were filmed just prior to his death.  At the time of his death, Cole was in a romantic relationship with bassist player Michelle Leon of the band, Babes in Toyland.  Since his death, Henry Rollins has dedicated several songs in Joe’s memory, and the song “JC” by Sonic Youth is also dedicated to him. (bio by: Kit and Morgan Benson)  Family links:  Parents:  Dennis Cole (1940 – 2009)

A book of Joe Cole’s collected writings, primarily tour journals, was published posthumously by Rollins’s publishing company and titled Planet Joe. It describes his time touring in the 1980s, in particular with Black Flag. Rollins included Cole’s story in his spoken word performances. Cole also appeared in Raves – God’s Movie, Volume 1 starring Joe Cole. According to Rolling Stone, after Cole’s death, hundreds of hours of interviews Cole had taped with “flamboyant street characters” in Venice Beach were edited into an hour of “primo footage” that the magazine described as “an unflinching look at the American dream gone amok”