Biography

John Fleckenstein was born on August 2, 1946 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982), Jaws 2 (1978) and Women's Murder Club (2007).

Original bassist for the band Love. During a break between sets at one of their first shows in late 1964, a fist-fight broke out in a parking lot between Fleckenstein and band frontman Arthur Lee. Although Fleckenstein was a football star at Hollywood High School, Lee put him down in two punches. The band was known then as The American Four, then the Grass Roots, but Lee had to change the name again when the band The Grass Roots began to have hit records. Lee and Fleckenstein had a tenuous relationship before Fleckenstein left the band and joined The Standells in early 1967. Both men ended up dying from leukemia. According to a 2015 article in the LA Times, Fleckenstein said that he joined the Cinematographer's Guild in 1967, but continued to play with The Standells for a short while, then rejoined them in 2012 for live performances. He noted that he had comprehensive medical insurance through the Guild and received better treatment for his condition than Lee, who, despite a subsidized stem cell transplant shortly before his death, had no medical insurance at the time of his death.

Played bass in The Standells under the name "John Fleck".

Although a cinematographer with notable film credentials, the Los Angeles Times never published his obituary, despite publishing an article and interview with Fleckenstein in 2015. The only person of note to have posted news of his death was Larry Tamblyn, the original vocalist and keyboardist for The Standells.