Greg Iles, the Mississippi author of the “Natchez Burning” trilogy, has died at age 65.
According to an obituary in The Natchez Democrat, Iles died around 5 a.m. local time Friday, Aug. 15. The New York Times best-selling writer’s literary agent, Dan Conaway, confirmed his death Saturday, Aug. 16, on Facebook. The Natchez resident had multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer.
Iles was born in Germany in 1960 while his father ran a medical clinic at the U.S. Embassy. According to a profile on his website, Iles spent time in Mississippi in his youth. He was a 1983 graduate from the University of Mississippi.
Iles went on to write novels sold around the world. Many of his books were thrillers and Southern Gothics that explored politics, legacy and racism in Mississippi. Some have been made into movies.
He was also a member of the Rock Bottom Remainders, a charitable rock group made up of authors. Bandmates included Stephen King, Amy Tan and Dave Barry.
What did Greg Iles write?
Iles was the author of the popular “Natchez Burning” trilogy, which is a subset of his Penn Cage series. The trilogy includes “Natchez Burning,” “The Bone Tree” and “Mississippi Blood.” In a statement on his website, Iles called them his “magnum opus.”
In all, there are seven Penn Cage novels and a novella, though he also wrote several other thrillers.
What is multiple myeloma?
Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that develops in the plasma. The disease causes blood cells to grow abnormally in the bone marrow.
The cancer is treatable but incurable. Iles noted the same disease killed Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, Colin Powell, Norm Macdonald, Roy Scheider and Geraldine Ferraro.
How long did Greg Iles fight cancer?
In a health update on his website, Iles outlined his cancer battle.
He was diagnosed at age 36 in 1996.
“After nearly dying from an experimental treatment, I − with the blessing of my father, the inspiration for Dr. Tom Cage − withdrew from the medical system and continued my writing career, while keeping my illness completely secret,” Iles wrote.
He said it caused anxiety but managed to live more than two decades as “one of the luckiest patients alive” with a case that didn’t have terminal progression.
Iles said the cancer “switched on” in recent years, almost killing him before he realized. Treatments had improved over 20 years.
He pushed to complete “Southern Man,” his last novel, before a stem cell transplant and underwent the procedure after finishing the book but before it was published in 2024.
“You might be interested to learn that as I wrote ‘Southern Man,’ the connection that always existed between Penn Cage and myself became even deeper, to the point that Penn took on my own secret struggle with mortality, along with the existential and political themes of this novel. Hopefully, ‘Southern Man’ is a richer book because of it,” Iles wrote.
He closed the update wishing other people suffering similar health problems well.
“My last thought for today is that only two things matter: family and friends,” he concluded.