Walter Thomas "Tom" or "Tommy" Bezzi was born in Elk City, Oklahoma in 1950. The family lived in California for a while and then moved to Wichita, Kansas in 1959. His father, Rocky Bezzi, was a professor of elementary education at Wichita State University, and his mother Betty Thomas Howell, was a piano teacher. His parents eventually divorced, and both remarried, Betty to Red Howell. Tom Bezzi's younger sister, Kathy, married David Disney, and they had two sons, Elliott and Louis.

Tom Bezzi studied at the University of Notre Dame, the University of Kansas (where he received a bachelors in English with honors in 1972), San Francisco State University (where he received a masters in English in 1978), and the Fredrich Wilhelms Universität in Bonn, Germany. Bezzi spent much of his adult life in California, particularly at what he called the "Casa del Sol" in West Hollywood.

Bezzi was an editor and author in several different media, including writing magazine articles and short stories. His play Dearly Beloved, about the relationships between an 18th century castrato and harpsichordist, who marries a soprano, was produced at the Old Globe Theatre in West Hollywood, California. He is probably best known for his novel Hubble Time (1987), a fictionalized accounting of the lives of Edwin and Grace Hubble and their circle of friends that included Aldous Huxley and Anita Loos. Edwin Hubble (1889-1953) was a significant astronomer of the early 20th century, spending most of his career at Mount Wilson Observatory near Pasadena, CA. While the Hubbles had no children, Bezzi's accounting of their lives relied on a fictionalized granddaughter named Jane, whose father was named Rocky in the book. Bezzi was working on another longer piece called "Evolution: An AIDS Journey" soon before his death.

Bezzi was a founding member of Tread Lightly, a national nonprofit organization for protecting the environment focused on protecting recreation access and outdoor opportunities in an ethical manner while providing good stewardship for the environment. He was also a board member for Project Angel Food, a nonprofit group based in Los Angeles, CA that prepares and delivers free meals for individuals who are impacted by serious illness.

Tom Bezzi died from complications from AIDS in March 1995.