Alabama native Harper Lee, author of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ dies at 89
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Harper Lee, the author of “To Kill a Mockingbird,” died on Friday at the age of 89.
The Monroeville, Ala., native, if not regarded as a hero in her own right, had certainly created one through the character of Atticus Finch in the 1961 Pulitzer Prize-winning story.
She was definitely a hero to former Auburn football coach Pat Dye.
AL.com’s Creg Stephenson wrote a story detailing how former Auburn football coach Pat Dye — who coached the Tigers from 1981 to 1992 — was close friends with the author.
Stephenson explained how Lee was a big Alabama football fan and knew legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant. Meanwhile, Dye worked under Bryant at Alabama from 1965-73.
Lee’s death was confirmed on Friday by the City Hall in Monroeville, Ala., where she lived. Her family released this statement:
“The family of Nelle Harper Lee, of Monroeville, Alabama, announced today, with great sadness, that Ms. Lee passed away in her sleep early this morning. Her passing was unexpected. She remained in good basic health until her passing. The family is in mourning and there will be a private funeral service in the upcoming days, as she had requested.”
Born and raised in Gainesville, Talal joined SDS in 2015 after spending 2 years in Bristol as an ESPN researcher. Previously, Talal worked at The Gainesville Sun.
