‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ author Harper Lee dead at 89

[|Montana Bengal|]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/kill-mockingbird-author-harper-lee-dead-89-article-1.2537408

Iconic American novelist Harper Lee has died, according to AL.com.

She was 89 years old.

The Alabama native was most famous for her 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird."

Lee wrote two books, 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and 'Go Set a watchman.'

Her second novel, “Go Set a Watchman” — which was a first draft of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird” — was published last year.

Lee was born April 28, 1926, in Monroeville, Ala. She developed her love of writing in high school and briefly attended the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa after she graduated.

A movie based on the novel — which starred Gregory Peck as southern lawyer Atticus Finch — premiered in 1962.
She moved to New York City in 1949 to pursue her writing career. She submitted a draft of “To Kill a Mockingbird” to J.B. Lippincott & Co. in 1957. After a hefty rewrite, it was published in 1960 and received critical acclaim.

A movie based on the novel — which starred Gregory Peck as southern lawyer Atticus Finch — premiered in 1962. Earlier this month, Emmy Award-winning writer Aaron Sorkin announced he would adapt the classic novel into a Broadway play.

Lee, who kept a largely private life after her novel’s success, suffered a stroke in 2007.