Jann Wenner Pulls Out of Authorized Bio

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Plans for writer Rich Cohen’s authorized biography of legendary Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner have come to a halt after Wenner mysteriously withdrew his support for the project, the New York Post’s Keith Kelly reports. Random House's Spiegel & Grau had verbally agreed a seven-figure deal for the book, according to a source. But the book was dropped when Wenner abruptly pulled out.

"Jann had come to Rich asking him to do it. After it got snapped up, Wenner had a change of heart," explained Cohen's agent, Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, adding that Cohen wasn't planning to continue with the project. What she couldn't explain was why Wenner decided to abandon it.

This isn't the first time in recent years that the famously feud-prone chairman of Wenner Media—which also publishes Us Weekly and Men's Journal—has put the kibosh on an authorized bio. Knopf paid writer Lewis MacAdams a reported mid-six-figure advance for another biography back in 2003 or 2004. Wenner initially cooperated with the project, but pulled out—some rumors said that he paid off MacAdams to keep him from releasing the juicy details of the manuscript, while other sources claimed that Wenner had threatened to sue the author if he continued with the book.