# Bill Kerby, who wrote the first draft of The Rose, dies at 88

> A maverick Hollywood screenwriter behind The Rose and Hatfields & McCoys has died at 88.
- Title: Bill Kerby, who wrote the first draft of The Rose, dies at 88
- Summary: A maverick Hollywood screenwriter behind The Rose and Hatfields & McCoys has died at 88. Bill Kerby spent 30 years writing films with a restless, outsider…
- Keywords: screenwriting, hollywood, obituary, film, television, Bill, Kerby, wrote, first, draft, Rose, dies
- Source: The Hollywood Reporter — https://hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/bill-kerby-dead-the-rose-last-american-hero-hooper-1236697827
- Author: Mike Barnes
- Published: 2026-09-11T18:00:04+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: screenwriting, hollywood, obituary, film, television
## A maverick screenwriter dies
Bill Kerby, the screenwriter behind some of the grittier American films of the 1970s, has died at 88.
## He wrote The Rose first
Kerby wrote the first draft of the rock drama The Rose, the 1979 film that starred Bette Midler as a self-destructing singer.
## Fast cars and stunt men
He also worked on The Last American Hero, The Gravy Train and Hooper, films built around racing, crime and Hollywood stunt work.
## Died on Whidbey Island
Kerby died Aug. 13 on Whidbey Island in Washington state. He had been in hospice care at home and had fallen and suffered a fracture.
## Thirty years in the trade
He was a full-time Hollywood writer for three decades, a rare run in a business where most screenwriting careers are short.
## A late career high
His 2012 miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, starring Kevin Costner and Bill Paxton, was a ratings hit for History and won him a WGA award plus an Emmy nomination.
## Key takeaway

Bill Kerby spent 30 years writing films with a restless, outsider streak, and his last big credit, Hatfields & McCoys, brought him an Emmy nomination and a WGA award.