SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – Many know that Jim Croce died 50 years ago, but not everybody knows that the torch he carried is still very much alive–living on through his son A.J. The elder Croce died penniless, in the words of his son. He had “a really terrible record deal,” A.J. says, and even after Jim died, the family didn’t see much profit.