‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ Author Harper Lee Dies At 89
American author Harper Lee best-known for her Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" died at the age of 89 on Friday in an assisted living facility in Monroeville, Alabama. According to Lee's lawyer, the passing of the novelist was "unexpected."
"She remained in good basic health until her passing," Tonja Carter said in a dispatch, courtesy of The Wall Street Journal. "The family is in mourning and there will be a private funeral service in the upcoming days, as she had requested."
Hank Conner, Lee's nephew and a family spokesperson, in a statement said the American novelist died in her sleep.
"This is a sad day for our family," he said. "America and the world knew Harper Lee as one of the last century's most beloved authors."
Nelle Harper Lee was born in Alabama on April 28, 1926. Despite being famous for her works, Lee graces interviews infrequently.
"Knowing Nelle these past few years has been not just an utter delight but an extraordinary privilege," Lee's literally agent Andrew Nurnberg said, via BBC.
"When I saw her just six weeks ago, she was full of life, her mind and mischievous wit as sharp as ever. She was quoting Thomas More and setting me straight on Tudor history. We have lost a great writer, a great friend and a beacon of integrity," Nurnberg added.
Her novel "To Kill A Mockingbird" was published in 1960 and won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction the following year. The renowned novel turned Lee into a literary celebrity. However, the novelist perceived the idea was unfair and never learned to agree with it.
"I never expected any sort of success with 'Mockingbird,'" Lee said in a radio interview in 1964, NY Times noted. "I was hoping for a quick and merciful death at the hands of the reviewers, but, at the same time I sort of hoped someone would like it well enough to give me encouragement."
In July 2015, Lee's "Go Set A Watchman" went on sale and has sold more about 1.6 million print copies in the United States as of February 14, as per Nielsen BookScan. Meanwhile, producer Scott Rudin reportedly said he is eyeing to bring "To Kill A Mokingbird" to Broadway in season 2017-18.
