Donald Patrick "Pat" Conroy (October 26, 1945 – March 4, 2016)

(AP) – Pat Conroy, the author of "The Great Santini" and "The Prince of Tides"
and other best-sellers who drew upon his bruising childhood and the vistas 
of South Carolina and became one of the country’s most compelling and
popular storytellers, died Friday evening.

According to his publisher Conroy, who announced last month that he had
pancreatic cancer, died at home among family and loved ones in Beaufort,
South Carolina. The heavy-set author had battled other health problems
in recent years, including diabetes, high blood pressure and a failing liver.