Harper Lee dead: ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ author was 89

Harper Lee

In this Aug. 20, 2007, file photo, author Harper Lee smiles during a ceremony honoring the four new members of the Alabama Academy of Honor at the Capitol in Montgomery, Ala.

AL.com reports Nelle Harper Lee is dead at the age of 89.

Multiple sources in her hometown of Monroeville, Alabama, told the publication that the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of “To Kill a Mockingbird” passed away on Friday. A county coroner confirmed the news to Entertainment Weekly.

The famed book was published in 1960, more than a decade after she moved to New York in pursuit of a writing career. The novel also inspired numerous theatrical productions and film adaptations, including an upcoming Broadway show written by Syracuse University alumnus Aaron Sorkin.

“To Kill a Mockingbird” tells the story of a white lawyer, defending a black man falsely accused of rape, and his two children, Scout and Jem. Many of the characters were inspired by Lee’s own childhood; her father was an attorney and “Finch” was her mother’s maiden name.

Lee returned to her hometown of Monroeville and lead a quiet life until her second book, “Go Set a Watchman,” finally hit shelves last year. “Watchman” was written before “Mockingbird” but takes place 20 years later with the same characters, though it was hit with controversy for depicting Atticus Finch in a different light.