Landon Y. Jones, who was "the top editor of People magazine in the 1990s, when its profits increased fourfold, and whose fascination with popular culture inspired him to write a 1980 book that helped popularize the term 'baby boomer,' " died on August 17, the New York Times reported. He was 80. An unapologetic champion of the newsworthiness of celebrities, Jones "would say that People, a publication of Time Inc., was about the 'three D's': Diana, diet and death, specifically that of celebrities."
"There were other people at People who dreamed of being on the big book--on Time," said colleague Jeff Jarvis in an interview. "But I never sensed that Lanny was chagrined about being on People. It was the pathway that led to the things that fascinated him, like baby boomers and celebrity. He did it with pride."
Ann S. Moore, People's publisher at the time who went on to preside over Time Inc.'s magazine empire, said Jones had been an enthusiastic partner in redirecting and fattening the corporate cash cow that was People, adding: "We were a great team."
Jones was known for supporting women's careers. Martha Nelson, the founding editor of InStyle, a People spinoff, who went on to become the first female editor in chief of Time Inc. in 2012, said, "Lanny championed me, as well as many others.... Creating a new magazine is a gamble and an experiment, watched by skeptics and critics. Lanny was supportive, protective and understanding every step along the way."
In 1980, Jones wrote Great Expectations: America and the Baby Boom Generation, which examined the cultural and political influence of the 75 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964. He later recalled in the Washington Post that he had proposed naming the book The Baby Boomers, but his publisher didn't go for it: " 'Oh, no,' came my publisher's quick answer. 'No one knows what that means. It will confuse booksellers. They will shelve it under Child Care.' "
Jones remained a v-p for strategic planning at Time Inc. until 2000, when he retired at the relatively young age of 57. In retirement, he wrote two books about the explorers Lewis and Clark: The Essential Lewis and Clark (2000) and William Clark and the Shaping of the West (2004). His last book was Celebrity Nation: How America Evolved Into a Culture of Fans and Followers (2023).