A sad news has come in to light suddenly, that Frank McCourt, the much beloved author of the acclaimed “Angela’s Ashes” has passed away at the age of 78. According to reports, the sad incident took place on Sunday, July 19, 2009.

The Pulitzer Prize winning author had been severely ill and down with meningitis for quite sometime; recently he had to be treated for melanoma, which is touted to be the deadliest form of skin cancer. It is reported by his publisher, Scribner, that the cause of his death is melanoma. His brother Malachy McCourt said that the prolific author passed away at a Manhattan hospice.

For the major part of his life, McCourt had been known around New York as a creative writing teacher and not an author. It was not until he was well in to his 60s, that he gained recognition as an author. His personal memoir, “Angela’s Ashes”, has had a wildly successful run at every literary circle and awards. It is of little doubt then, that he will be most remembered as the author of the hugely successful book.

It was not until the year of 1996 that he became known to the world and was able to tell the story of his humble Irish beginnings and impoverished state. “Angela’s Ashes”, the memoir of a common man’s life, gained instant stardom and was warmly welcomed by the critics and readers alike. The book was published in 25 languages and in over 30 countries.

The book highlights the life McCourt had had in his childhood with an alcoholic as a father and seven siblings besides, three of who passed away. The life was in itself a worthy tale to be told. The world will miss a master storyteller, who could capture the reader’s emotion with his way of storytelling.