Jan-Michelle Kerouac ( born February 16 , 1952 - died June 7 , 1996 ) was the daughter of writer Jack Kerouac , by his second wife Joan Haverty . Janet Michelle `` Jan '' Kerouac ( February 16 , 1952 -- June 5 , 1996 ) was an American writer and the only child of beat generation author Jack Kerouac and Joan Haverty Kerouac .