E. Lynn Harris Dies Aged 54

Leading African-American author E. Lynn Harris has died at the age of 54 after suffering "a serious health setback".

The writer was in the middle of a promotional tour for his latest release, Basketball Jones, when he died on Thursday night (23Jul09).

His assistant broke the tragic news on Friday (24Jul09) but failed to give further details about his illness.

Born Everette Lynn Harris, he rose to fame as a pioneer of gay black fiction in 1991 after publishing his debut Invisible Life himself.

He went on to release a total of 11 novels, including Just As I Am, If This World Were Mine and Love of My Own, as well as his memoir, What Becomes of the Brokenhearted.

Ten of his books made it onto the New York Times best-sellers list