Kent James — who went from a Utah upbringing to become a gay punk-rock icon — dies at 56

Many times I have been assigned to write an obituary, and came away wishing I had met the person I was memorializing.

That was the case with Kent James, who died July 3 in Palm Springs, Calif., at the age of 56.

James was born and raised in Utah, in a family that were devout members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He even went on a mission in Argentina. From there, he pursued a career in music — appearing as the leader of a pop trio on “Star Search” in 1993, then going to Nashville to try to break into country music.

But being in Nashville meant being in the closet, something Kent, a gay man, felt he couldn’t do. So he went back to Los Angeles, took the moniker Nick Name, and launched himself as a punk rocker whose songs dealt openly and honestly about his sexuality.

Read more about James in his obituary, here at sltrib.com.