Who Was Tom Clancy, The Famous Novelist? Is He Dead Or Alive?

Quick Facts

It is very rare for most writers to have their breakthrough with their very first book, however, that was not the case of the brilliant author, Tom Clancy, whose first book; ‘The Hunt for Red October’ back in 1984, brought about his meteoric rise to fame. He has seen that time published a good number of works, most of which have sold millions of copies and have led to film adaptations. Some of the most popular characters he has created in this time include – Jack Ryan and John Clark.

Read on to know more about the famous novelist and get facts about his death.

Who was Tom Clancy?

The prominent novelist Tom Clancy was born on the 12th of April 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland. He was named after his father who was also called Thomas Clancy while his mother was named Catherine Clancy. He is the second child of his parents and he has two other siblings.

Clancy had his early education at Loyola High School located at Towson in Maryland and then went on to attend Loyola college, now known as Loyola University, where he obtained a bachelor’s degree in English literature.

After graduating college, the prolific writer did not actually commence his initial attempt at building a career in the line of writing, rather, he started out working for an insurance firm which was owned by his wife’s granny. It was during his time with the agency that he started to pen down his first book titled ‘The Hunt for Red October’ which turned out to be a very successful novel that even got the attention of President Ronald Reagan, as well as top U.S military officials who praised his portrayal of military tactics.

It is also worth knowing that Tom Clancy’s first novel later had a film produced based on its story and in subsequent years his other works like ‘Patriots Game’, ‘Clear and Present Danger’, ‘Net Force’,‘The Sum of All Fears’ and a couple of others where turned into films featuring top-notch Hollywood actors like , , and . The novelist is also widely known for his fictional characters like Jack Ryan and John Clark whom he uses in most of his works.

With regards to non-fiction, Tom Clancy has been praised for his books; ‘Submarine: A Guided Tour Inside a Nuclear Warship’ and  ‘SSN: Strategies for Submarine Warfare’ which gave an insight into the operations of the U.S Army. It is also known that in 2008. video game company Ubisoft obtained the rights to use his name to produce their video games.

Family – Wive(s) and Children

Tom Clancy’s first marriage was to the Eye Surgeon, Wanda Thomas King, back in 1969. The couple remained married for close to three decades and had 4 children together – 3 daughters named Michelle, Christine and Kathleen as well as a son named Thomas Leo III. The pair first separated in 1995 and again in 1996, before going ahead with divorce proceedings that were concluded in 1999.

The same year that Tom Clancy officially divorced his wife, he took Alexandra Marie Llewellyn as his wife and the pair stayed married until the time of his death in 2013. The couple has one daughter together.

Accolades

Tom Clancy has been recognized as a part of the top 3 writers who have managed to sell up to 2 million pieces of their work during the time they first published. His book ‘Clear and Present Danger’ was also named the bestselling novel during the 80s. In 1990, the writer was honored by the Navy League of the U.S with the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Literary Achievement.

Even after his demise, Clancy has received recognition for his brilliant works, most notably an honor by the Baltimore Orioles in March 2014 alongside other Orioles family members that have been lost.

Is He Dead or Alive?

The renowned novelist is known to have passed on back in October 2013 in his hometown of Baltimore. Although the cause of Tom Clancy’s death was not stated officially, some sources have it that the 66-year-old must have suffered a heart attack or at least died from complications surrounding his heart problem. Clancy had issues with his heart for some years before his death. He had also reportedly suffered from a heart attack in the past and had to undergo bypass surgery.

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