Pat Conroy, the South Carolina author of such bestsellin novels as The Prince of Tides, The Great Santini, and The Lords of Discipline, died Friday in Beaufort, S.C. He was 70 and had been battling pancreatic cancer.
C Oscar nominated film,onroy was known for his family novels and memoirs that were often based on his life and featured a lush, florid writing style.
The Prince of Tides was adapted as a 1991 Oscar nominated film, starring Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand.
The Great Santini was made into a film in 1980, starring Robert Duvall in Oscar nominated performance.
Both books were drawn from Conroy’s experiences as the oldest of seven children of an abusive Marine Corps colonel.
The 1980 adaptation of The Lords of Discipline was inspired by his life as a cadet at the Citadel military academy.
Born in Atlanta, Conroy taught school on an island off the South Carolina coast, and based one of his first books, The Water is Wide, on his experiences teaching students who spoke the Gullah dialect. It was adapted into a film, Conrack, starring Jon Voight.
His 2013 memoir The Death of Santini delved further into the story of his father.
His other books include My Losing Season, Beach Music and South of Broad.
