Times Reporter Jerry Belcher, Veteran Newsman, Dies at 57

Jerry Belcher, a Los Angeles Times reporter with an appreciative eye for the absurd and an irreverent sense of amusement at the failings of authority figures, died early Saturday at his South Pasadena home after a months-long battle with cancer. He was 57.

Belcher came to The Times in 1974 after working for several Northern California newspapers.

At The Times, he covered many breaking news events, and his bylines ranged from stories on kazoo players to the impact on families of the victims of the Southside Killer.

Covered Hearst Kidnaping

Belcher was a reporter for the San Francisco Examiner at the time of the Patricia Hearst kidnaping in 1974 and--as he told it--assigned himself to come to Los Angeles to cover the story of the police shoot-out with Symbionese Liberation Army members.

He became co-author of a book about the Hearst kidnaping, which he covered for the Examiner, the newspaper published by her father, Randolph Hearst.

“He cared so much about other people,” said fellow Examiner writer Larry Hatfield, “while never really knowing how good he was. He was clearly the best writer we had.”

After the Examiner, he came to The Times.

“Jerry, without a doubt, was the most beloved reporter in the city room,” Times Metropolitan Editor David Rosenzweig said. “He was gifted with remarkable warmth, wit, humor and charm, qualities that made him not just a talented writer but a treasured friend to many colleagues.

Loved to Regale Friends

“If they gave a Pulitzer Prize for storytelling, Jerry would have won hands down. He loved to regale his friends with tales about the many memorable characters he had known as a newspaperman in California. Jerry, in fact, was one of those characters. He was great company and he’ll be deeply missed.”

Belcher was born April 29, 1930, in Kansas City, Mo. He obtained a journalism degree at San Jose State College in 1953. He had already worked as an auto racing writer for the Contra Costa Sporting News in Martinez, Calif., and as a staff writer for the Contra Costa Gazette. He also was a reporter for the Salinas Californian.

He served in U.S. Army public relations in West Germany from 1953 to 1955, then returned to civilian life and reporting jobs with the Antioch (Calif.) Ledger (where he also was sports editor), the Richmond Independent and the Oakland Tribune. He moved to the Examiner in 1962.

Among his particular interests were books and jazz. He wrote many of the obituaries of major figures in the music field.

Won Several Awards

Belcher won several San Francisco Press Club awards and was a co-winner of the 1985 Los Angeles Times Editorial Award for the best news story written under deadline pressure.

He leaves his wife, Nancy, and three children, Jed, Moria and Sean. In lieu of flowers, contributions are being asked to the Wellness Clinic, 1235 5th St., Santa Monica 90401, or the Hospice of Pasadena, 464 E. Walnut St., Pasadena 91101.

Memorial services are pending.