J.R. was born in Chicago to Lalla Anne Critz Zanzi and Jim Zanzi. In early years he attended the Montessori Lab School in Hyde Park. Later the family moved to Windy Acres, a farmhouse and garden in Hindsboro, Illinois. He graduated from Arcola High School.

J.R. attended Beloit College (Beloit, Wisconsin) and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. He was an ardent scholar of film and film culture, and vintage and contemporary photography. He was an avid reader of history, fiction, and poetry. He lived in Los Angeles briefly, and spent the rest of his life in his home city, Chicago.

J.R. is buried in the historic Graceland Cemetery and Arboretum in Chicago, alongside his mother, Lalla Anne Critz Zanzi (1935 – 1990). He is survived by his father, Jim Zanzi, professor emeritus of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

J.R. will be missed by Jim and everyone that knew and loved him. Donations can be made in his name to the addiction recovery organization of your choice.

We invite visitors to this page to leave remembrances of J.R., noting how and when you knew him. You're welcome to leave an email address or other contact information, in the event that a memorial is scheduled in the future.

Photo credit

J.R. at the Museum of Modern Art Sculpture Garden (New York City), next to the sculpture by Pablo Picasso, She-Goat (1950, bronze). Photo taken by Jim, for Lalla Anne, who loved her son, (and goats!)