Bestselling author Nelson DeMille died Tuesday after battling stage 4 esophageal cancer, his daughter and eldest son announcementHe was 81. The prolific writer was known for his suspense, crime and action books, including Plum Island, The charm school, And The General's Daughterwhich was adapted into a film in 1999 starring John Travolta. “He really went out of his way to help other writers he believed in,” said the novelist’s son, Alex DeMille. said“He had a grace about him, I guess a down-to-earth quality despite his success.” Before his writing career, DeMille won a Bronze Star for his military service in Vietnam. He went on to write 23 novels, 17 of which were bestsellers, and wrote all of his manuscripts by hand, using pencils and notepads. DeMille's first major novel, By the rivers of Babylonwas published in 1978. According to Alex, he and his father wrote two books together and were working on a third. DeMille, whose wife, Sandra, died in 2018, is survived by three children, Alex, Lauren and James.
