Harper Lee, author of 'To Kill a Mockingbird,' dead at 89

Harper Lee

By Kwon Ji-youn

Harper Lee, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961 for her book “To Kill a Mockingbird,” has died, according to media reports. She was 89.

“This is a sad day for our family,” Hank Conner, Lee’s nephew and a spokesman for the family, said in a statement on Friday, according to the reports. “Ms. Lee passed away in her sleep early this morning. Her passing was unexpected. She remained in good basic health until her passing.

“America and the world knew Harper Lee as one of the last century’s most beloved authors.”

The funeral will be private as per her request.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” was Lee’s only book until a sequel, titled “Go Set a Watchman,” was found among Lee’s belongings and published. Written in the mid-1950s, the book has since been more widely accepted as the first draft of “To Kill a Mockingbird.”