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Legendary Mississippi-based #1 New York Times bestselling author Greg Iles passed away Friday at the age of 64, following a long battle with cancer.

Last spring, just prior to the release of his now final book, Southern Man (a fitting title for the famed writer to go out on), Iles announced to his readers that, sadly, he would not be able to promote the book’s release like year’s past due to complications from multiple myeloma, which he was first diagnosed with in 1996—something Iles has kept private.

“In 1996, when I was 36 years old,” Iles wrote to his fans before Southern Man hit store shelves, “I was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer that had recently killed Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart. Though asymptomatic at the time, I carried most signs of full-blown disease, which gave me a very brief survival prognosis. 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. This way of life carried with it tremendous anxiety, but right or wrong, I saw no real alternative, and ultimately it worked for me—at least for a time. Against all odds, I became one of the luckiest patients alive and survived more than twenty years with a “smoldering” form of the cancer, without terminal progression. During these years, I watched the illness take people like Geraldine Ferraro, Roy Scheider, and, more recently, Colin Powell and comedian Norm McDonald.”

“Two years ago, however, my extraordinary run of luck ran out, and my myeloma ‘switched on,” Iles’ statement continued before the author addressed his decision to put off treatment to finish The Southern Man, which had already been delayed several times. “I nearly died before I was even aware that the disease had reawakened.

“Thankfully, despite myeloma still being classed as incurable, treatments have improved greatly over the intervening years. Because I was deep in the writing of Southern Man when this happened, I made a decision to complete that novel before pursuing my chosen form of treatment—stem cell transplant. As one might guess, this took longer than I’d hoped, given that I was being treated conventionally throughout the writing. This should explain the multiple postponements of the release that generated so many emails, and which I was unable to answer candidly at the time.

“At long last, however, I have completed the novel, and we have a firm publication date. I have chosen this time to go public about my situation because two years of ongoing treatment have made it impossible to maintain my privacy any longer. I will be getting my transplant prior to publication, and my publisher and I will keep you apprised of my progress during my recovery.”

Iles wrote that, “the connection that always existed between Penn Cage and myself became even deeper,” as he wrote Southern Man, before ending his written statement, which is still posted on his official website, with, “This journey is far from over. My last thought for today is that only two things matter: family and friends.”

Iles, a prolific writer, earned the respect of his peers, receiving endorsements from literary giants such as John Grisham (“A first-rate political thriller”) and Stephen King, who called Southern Man,”A genuinely terrifying book because of its plausibility. Iles perfectly captures the tinderbox that America is in the post-Trump era. A perfectly done political thriller with genuine resonance. Astonishing.”

After initially pursuing a career in music, Iles pivoted to his other love—books—and released his first book, Spandau Phoenix, in 1993, quickly carving out a loyal readership with his character-rich stories often set in the South. His most famous work, though, is unquestionably his The Natchez Burning Trilogy: Natchez Burning (2014), The Bone Tree (2015), and Mississippi Blood (2017).

In 2011, Iles was in a horrific accident on U.S. 61. Though he survived, Iles’ right leg (below the knee) had to be amputated.

Beloved by readers, booksellers, and most everyone in the publishing industry, news of Iles’ death spread quickly Friday night, with many, including Stephen King, posting tributes in remembrance of him.

Greg Iles, bestselling writer and lead guitarist of a group of writers known as the Rock Bottom Remainders, has died at the unfair age of 65. He was a hell of a writer and a hell of a player. He was also a good friend, and he’ll be missed.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 15, 2025

We’ll update this article as more tributes are posted . . .