Sailor Jerry

Legacy Sailor Jerry's influence on the art of modern tattooing is widely recognized.

A documentary film about his life, Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry, was released in 2008. The film is available on DVD or for free via YouTube.

His flash drawings were shown in a museum exhibit at the Musée du quai Branly, Paris, and the Field Museum, Chicago.

Since 2015, an annual independently-produced event has taken place in June, called the "Sailor Jerry Festival", to honor Collins' legacy in Honolulu's Chinatown. The event has included such things as live music, art exhibits, comedy, movie screenings, a fashion show, neighborhood tours, and tattoos available at area shops. The event is Collins family approved, many of whom have attended multiple festival dates and even been part of official meet-and-greet parties. Things expanded to include an annual 'Birthday Bash' edition every January. Both the January and June festivals aim to celebrate and educate. They are not tied to the rum company.

Image rights

Sailor Jerry wanted at least one of three protégés/friends – Ed Hardy, Mike Malone, or Zeke Owen – to take over his shop (or else burn it) when he died. The limited company, which owns the commercial rights to Collins' letters, art, and flash, uses his designs on clothing and items such as ash trays, sneakers, playing cards, churchkeys, and shot glasses.

Sailor Jerry Ltd. produced a 92proof spiced "navy rum" featuring a Sailor Jerry hula girl on the label. As the bottle is emptied, additional pin-up girls designed by Sailor Jerry are visible on the inner side of the label. The rum business was purchased by William Grant & Sons in 2008. She was paid $20,000 for his shop and its contents in 1973 but disputed whether this sale included intellectual property or personality rights. The lawsuit was settled in 2020.

Personal life Collins played the saxophone in a dance band and frequently hosted his own radio show, where he was known as "Old Ironsides".

He was known for being stubborn. She was his fifth wife. He is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, a military cemetery located in Punchbowl Crater in Honolulu.