Jack & Diane Mellencamp and Don Gehman (with Gehman also engineering), and backing Mellencamp were guitarists/backing vocalists Mick Ronson, Mike Wanchic, Larry Crane, drummer Kenny Aronoff, bassist/backing vocalist Robert Frank, and keyboardist Eric Rosser. In 1982, producer and guitarist Mick Ronson worked with Mellencamp on his "American Fool" album, and in particular on "Jack & Diane." In a 2008 interview with "Classic Rock" magazine, Mellencamp recalled: Mick was very instrumental in helping me arrange that song, as I'd thrown it on the junk heap. Ronson came down and played on three or four tracks and worked on the "American Fool" record for four
Diane Jenkins expected to leave, Diane tried extorting Victor into giving her money for a tape that showed Abby Newman (Marcy Rylan) responsible for an accident which caused Tucker to land in the hospital for several months in a coma. When her attempt to extort Victor failed, she took her efforts to Ashley. Diane then confessed to having slept with Tucker, leading Ashley to slap her straight across the face. Diane then sends a mass text message to everyone who had wronged her: Abby, Ashley, Jack, Nicholas, Phyllis, Tucker and Victor. The morning after, Diane's dead body is discovered in the lake