Author and poet Jim Harrison, who achieved major mainstream success with his “Legends of the Fall” novella, has passed away at the age of 78.
According to Associated Press, Harrison died on Saturday at his home in Patagonia, Arizona, Deb Seager. A cause of death is yet to be revealed.
Harrison penned more than 30 books over his long career, and was compared to the likes of Ernest Hemingway. His 1980 saga “Legends of the Fall” was adapted into a film in 1994, directed by Edward Zwick and starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins. It won the best cinematography Oscar for John Toll.
He was an avid outdoorsman, which often carried over to his writing. Among the accolades he received are a Guggenheim Fellowship, National Academy of Arts grants and the Spirit of the West Award from the Mountain & Plains Booksellers Association.
Harrison made a quite a number of Hollywood friends in his lifetime, including Sean Connery, Jack Nicholson and Warren Beatty. His work was also featured in such publications as Esquire, Rolling Stone and Playboy.
His most recently released fiction was “The Big Seven” last year. He also released a book of poetry, “Dead Man’s Float,” in 2015.
He is survived by his wife Linda King and their two daughters.
Source: Variety