Author. He was an American author of the 20th century who is recognized for popularizing the sport of running. His 1977 bestseller "The Complete Book of Running" is credited with helping to start America's fitness revolution. His book was on the bestsellers list for eleven weeks and sold over a million copies. He made tours lecturing on the subject of running. He died of a heart attack while jogging. He had a predisposition for heart problems related to other previous lifestyle factors including obesity and being a two-pack-day cigarette smoker. His autopsy exposed advanced atherosclerosis. Born the only son of three children, his father was one of the editors of "Time" magazine and had his first heart attack at age 35 and died with the second one at age 43. In 1957 he graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio and was a member of the high-IQ club, Mensa. According to a 2020 "Sports Illustrated" article, he had attended college on the G.I. Bill and during this time, served as the publicity director for a magazine called "The Forum." Over the years, he served as an editor for magazines such as "The Saturday Review," "McCalls," and "Life and Horizon," According to an article in the "Washington Post," he ran over 40 miles a week which may had psychological effects on him similar to anorexia. In 1980 his follow-up book "Jim Fixx's Second Book of Running: The Companion Volume to The Complete Book of Running" was published. In 1982 he wrote about his fame in "Jackpot!." His fourth book "Maximum Sports Performance" was published posthumously in 1985. Including books about games published in the early 1970s, he published a total of eight books and a running video in 1980. He married his college sweetheart Mary Durling. He was buried in the historic Disbrow Grounds with his parents and members of his mother's family.