Pat Conroy, the beloved author of "The Great Santini" and "The Prince of Tides" and other best-sellers who drew upon his bruising childhood and the vistas of South Carolina and became one of the country's most compelling and popular storytellers, died Friday evening. He was 70.
Conroy, who announced last month that he had pancreatic cancer, died at home among family and loved ones in Beaufort, South Carolina, according to his publisher. The heavy-set author had battled other health problems in recent years, including diabetes, high blood pressure and a failing liver.
"The water is wide and he has now passed over," his wife, novelist Cassandra Conroy, said in a statement from publisher Doubleday.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley tweeted: "We can find comfort knowing his words and love for SC will live on."
Funeral arrangements were still being made.