Frank McCourt, Angela's Ashes Author, Dies at 78

Frank McCourt, the Irish-American schoolteacher turned author, has died at the age of 78. The writer of the bestsller Angela's Ashes died of metastatic melanoma.

McCourt won a Pulitzer for Angela's Ashes, which dealt with his rough childhood growing up in Limerick, Ireland. McCourt wrote of his alcoholic father who left his family, forcing his mother Angela to beg on the streets.

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The book's vivid depiction of childhood poverty made Angela's Ashes the rare book that was a hit with readers and critics alike. The book won the Pulitzer and sold more than four million copies worldwide. The memoir became such a worldwide hit that the city of Limerick runs Angela's Ashes tours, which highlight the sites of the city mentioned in the book.

McCourt followed up Angela's Ashes with two more books 'Tis and Teacher Man. Prior to the release of Angela's Ashes, McCourt spent decades teaching in the New York city school system.

McCourt had recently struggled with melanoma as well as meningitis. He first became unwell during a cruise in the Pacific and spent time in a hospital in Tahiti.

Videos

Frank McCourt - Writing About Poverty

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sourced by Jon Azpiri