Bryce Courtenay
Beloved Australian author Bryce Courtenay has died at his
Canberra home last night, surrounded by his family and pets,
aged 79.
Courtenay, whose best-sellers include The Power of One,
The Potato Factory and Tommo & Hawk, died at
11.30pm.
"We'd like to thank all of Bryce's family and friends and all
of his fans around the world for their love and support for
me and his family as he wrote the final chapter of his
extraordinary life," Courtenay's wife Christine said in a
statement today.
"And may we make a request for privacy as we cherish his
memory."
Courtenay didn't let his fight with cancer slow him down,
with his final book, Jack of Diamonds, being released
this month by Penguin.
The South-African born author left his final word in a moving
epilogue in this last book.
Courtenay wrote: "It's been a privilege to write for you and
to have you accept me as a storyteller in your lives. Now, as
my story draws to an end, may I say only, Thank you. You have
been simply wonderful."
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