One of America's greatest novelists, Cormac McCarthy, has died at age 89

American novelist Cormac McCarthy, known for his writing's graphic violence and reticence for punctuation, has died at age 89. McCarthy died on Tuesday morning, June 13, 2023 according to NPR. McCarthy's 1985 western Blood Meridian and other works garnered awards including a MacArthur Fellowship, a National Book Award, and a Pulitzer.

For those who don't read books (or didn't read his), McCarthy's storytelling might have found its way to you with the 2007 film No Country for Old Men (which won an Academy Award for best film) or 2009's The Road, which anticipated the zombie craze by providing that - but minus the zombies.

Among fans and admirers, McCarthy was known for his work ethic - and his dedication to his tools. He is well known for using a second-hand typewriter - a portable Olivetti Lettera 32 - for nearly 50 years to write much of his bibliography. In 2009, he agreed for his typewriter to be auctioned for charity - with a friend buying an identical model at $11 (plus $19.95 shipping) to keep him writing.

This isn't the first time McCarthy is reported to have died. In 2016, a hoax spread via Twitter that the author had passed - with publications such as USA Today even being duped. Once he was revealed to be still among the living, the Los Angeles Times quipped at the hoax with a story that can be summed up in a headling: "Cormac McCarthy isn't dead. He's too tough to die."

Cormac McCarthy may be dead, but his stories are too tough to die.