Winston Groom, the author of the worldwide popular novel Forrest Gump, has passed away at the age of 77 at his home in Alabama.
The writer’s death was confirmed by a Fairhope funeral home and Mayor Karin Wilson who took to social media to share the tragic news of Groom’s passing.
In a tribute to the author, whose most popular work made it into a movie that won six Oscars, Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey dubbed Groom a “talented journalist & noted author.”
“While he will be remembered for creating Forrest Gump, Winston Groom was a talented journalist & noted author of American history. Our hearts & prayers are extended to his family,” Governor Kay Ivey said.
Groom was a fiction and nonfiction author who wrote eight novels along with a series of nonfiction works in the decades after graduating from the University of Alabama back in 1965.
Following his graduation, Groom joined the Army and served with the Fourth Infantry Division for four years. He also completed one tour in Vietnam.
After serving in the Army, the writer worked as a reporter for the Washington Star before calling it quits in order to focus on his career as an author.
In 1978, Groom published his first novel, Better Times Than These, which revolves around the Vietnam War. The author’s best-known work is Forrest Gump which has sold over 1.7 million copies worldwide since the book’s release in 1986.
May he rest in peace.
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Replaced!