We’ve all probably had to read To Kill a Mockingbird at some point—middle school, high school or even college. It is one of America’s most beloved and influential books on racial injustice. Some of us may even have read Go Set A Watchman, released last year as the sequel to Mockingbird. Harper Lee, the inspiring author of both novels, died Friday in her sleep in Monroeville, Ala. She was 89.
Nelle Harper Lee lived a long life after the commercial success of To Kill a Mockingbird, which won a Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1961.
Lee’s family said in a statement, “Her passing was unexpected. She remained in good basic health until her passing. The family is in mourning and there will be a private funeral service in the upcoming days, as she had requested.”
According to The New York Times, Lee never expected nor fully accepted her role as a celebrity. In a 1964 radio interview, Lee said, “I was hoping for a quick and merciful death [for the book] at the hands of the reviewers, but, at the same time I sort of hoped someone would like it well enough to give me encouragement.” This led to Lee’s reputation as a literary recluse, rarely showing up for public appearances or awards.
“I am still alive, although very quiet,” Lee once wrote to her book agent 30 years after the release of Mockingbird. A much-anticipated sequel did not appear until 2015, when a manuscript for Go Set a Watchman turned up under suspicious circumstances. Many questioned whether Lee was even aware that the book would be published. The release of the much darker novel, which explored extreme racial tensions in the South and put Atticus’s morals into question, brought Lee’s published book count to a total of two.
Whether or not she fully wanted to be famous, Harper Lee will remain one of the American literary greats.