“He Loved the People, He Loved the Drama”: West Hollywood Journalist James F. Mills Dies at 64

James F. Mills, the North Carolina-born journalist who spent more than a decade covering West Hollywood and served as editor of WEHOville (now WEHOonline), has died. He was 64. The Los Angeles County coroner’s report lists the cause of death as atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Arrangements are pending.

News of his passing spread quickly through the West Hollywood community Monday.

Mills began covering West Hollywood around 2010 as a reporter for AOL’s West Hollywood Patch website, eventually becoming its editor. He joined WEHOville as a staff writer in 2012 under founder Henry Scott. In November 2020, he became the site’s editor when Scott stepped down after eight years. His bylines also appeared in LA Weekly, Backstage West, Notes From Hollywood, Gay Star News, and Frontiers magazine.

He had a graduate degree from UNC-Chapel Hill. He moved to California as soon as he finished school and never looked back, by his own account. He never lost his Southern accent.

Friends remembered Mills as someone who showed up — at City Hall and in their lives.

Jimmy Palmieri, a friend of nearly 24 years, remembered Mills as someone who never missed what others overlooked. “James was a great reporter. Always catching details that others missed. More than that, though, he was a close friend for nearly 24 years. I’m very sad. My only peace is that he will now be with his beloved cat Zeus, whom he loved greatly. I will miss dinners filled with politics and laughter. See ya when I see ya, James.”

Allegra Allison, a longtime friend, said Mills had a deep and lasting love for West Hollywood even after he could no longer afford to live there.

“He cared about people on all sides,” Allison said. “And he cared about preservation. That all ties in with caring about stories — the dramas, the people, and the buildings that held all of it long before West Hollywood even started.“​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

She said his Southern accent never left him. “That was kind of part of his whole persona,” Allison said. “Being here and being gay.”

Mills was known among friends for never missing a birthday. He sent texts and handwritten cards without fail. He baked Christmas cookies every year and wrapped them as gifts. Most early evenings, he rode his bike through the neighborhood.

He had a private passion for soap operas, Allison said. She said it fit him.

“He loved the people, he loved the drama,” Allison said.

Jerome Cleary, a friend who knew Mills for nearly two decades, remembered him as someone who was always watching, always engaged.

“James and I shared so many wonderful laughs over lunch or dinner at Fresh Corn Grill,” Cleary said. “He was deeply tuned into the pulse of West Hollywood — he truly seemed to be everywhere. I remember during a live online City Council debate in 2020, I was in the middle of answering a question about West Hollywood West. No sooner had I finished than a text popped up from James: ‘That was a really good answer.’ It was a perfect reminder that he was always watching, always engaged, and always supportive.”

Mills had been working on a book in recent years, though friends said it had slipped down his priority list. He had some health issues in the period before his death. He was survived by friends and colleagues throughout the West Hollywood community he covered and loved for more than fifteen years.