Australian best-selling author Bryce Courtenay has died at his Canberra home aged 79.
The father of three was surrounded by his loving family when he passed away yesterday (Thursday), following a short battle with stomach cancer.
Christine Courtenay has thanked her husband’s many fans for their support and made a request for privacy.
“We would like to thank all of Bryce’s family and friends and his fans around the world for their love and support as he wrote the final chapter of his extraordinary life,” Christine said.
“May we make the request for privacy as we cherish his memory.”
In a recent A Current Affair interview, done after his diagnosis, Bryce revealed he was “ready to die”, saying he had lived a “very full and extraordinary life”.
Christine also spoke in the interview about her love and admiration for her husband.
“It [the diagnosis] was devastating but we feel immense gratitude for the love that we have from our family and friends and Bryce’s wonderful readers,” she said.
“We love him so much. I’m the luckiest girl in the world to be married to him and I know he will live in our hearts forever.”
Courtenay, who was originally from South Africa and immigrated to Australia in the 1950s, wrote a number of best-sellers including The Power of One which was made into a film starring Morgan Freeman. This book alone sold more than 8 million copies around the world.
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