Jim Harrison Dead at 78: Author of ‘Legends of the Fall’

James "Jim" Harrison has passed away at the age of 78. He was an American author well known for his poetry, fiction, reviews, essays about the outdoors, and writings about food. He was best known for his 1994 novella "Legends of the Fall".

Harrison was born in Grayling, Michigan, to Winfield Sprague Harrison, a county agricultural agent, and Norma Olivia (Wahlgren) Harrison, both avid readers.

His death was confirmed by his publisher, Grove Atlantic. The cause of death is not known yet. The Associated Press reported that Harrison died Saturday at his home in Patagonia, Ariz. Deb Seager,

In March, his book "The Ancient Minstrel" was published. Harrison almost published 40 books in his career as author.

Harrison's most famous book is his 1979 novella Legends of the Fall, which was made into a movie starring Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins in 1994.

It was the story of a war-weary Montana rancher and his three sons with very different personalities making for conflict and drama as the young men participate in the battle of World War I.

"My characters aren't from the urban dream-coasts," Harrison told The Paris Review in 1986. "A man is not a foreman on a dam project because he wants to be macho. That's his job, a job he's evolved into."

Harrison's wife, Linda King Harrison, who lived with Harrison for 50 years, died last year.