Adam Perle of Wainscott, a musician, innkeeper at the 1770 House in East Hampton Village, and “student of life” who was interested in and curious about everything, his family said, died on Aug. 8. He was 76 and had been ill for several years.
Mr. Perle was a bibliophile, wordsmith, poet, and writer, according to his wife, Joi Jackson Perle. A talented musician and singer, he was once offered a recording contract by the record executive and producer Clive Davis, she said.
With his parents and sister, Wendy Van Deusen of East Hampton, who survives, Mr. Perle was an owner of the 1770 House, where he also served as sommelier. He loved working with his family, Ms. Jackson Perle said, and although he had no culinary skills he boasted that he came from “kitchen stock,” as his mother and sister were accomplished chefs.
Mr. Perle befriended Yoko Ono when she stayed at the inn, and they talked about music for hours. Ms. Ono subsequently invited Mr. Perle to visit her residence in Manhattan, which he readily accepted.
Adam Lewis Perle was born in Queens on June 20, 1949, to Sidney Charles Perle and the former Miriam Lewis. He grew up in Great Neck, attending high school there before earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology at Adelphi University in Garden City, graduating with honors.
He and Ms. Jackson Perle were married on Feb. 3, 1991.
Mr. Perle volunteered for Meals on Wheels in the late 1980s and early 1990s. He had a lightness of spirit that let him see the beauty in every moment, his wife said. A serious student of philosophy, history, and language, he enjoyed discussing ideas with friends and strangers and would often strike up conversations by asking, “Who is your favorite philosopher?” Whether it was with John F. Kennedy Jr., Julia Roberts, or store clerks, library patrons, and Hampton Jitney passengers, he was game for a good conversation.
He took pleasure in making others laugh, too, deeming such people “great comedy receivers,” his wife said. His life, she added, can be summarized by a Ralph Waldo Emerson statement: “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
Along with his wife and sister, Mr. Perle is survived by a son, Kamal Jackson of Tempe, Ariz., a nephew, Philip Van Deusen of East Hampton, and a niece, Taylor Van Deusen of Manorville.
Mr. Perle was cremated. Services were private.
