Erich Segal, Love Story author, dies
Sad news comes today that Erich Segal, a classics professor who found his greatest fame with the pop novel "Love Story," has died at age 72. If you are of a certain age, you can recall the clamor over "Love Story," about a poor, street-wise Radcliffe girl and rich Harvard preppie -- Jenny Cavilleri and Oliver Barrett IV -- who fall for each other. You'll remember the bright greens, reds and blues on the book's cover, reminiscent of Robert Indiana's classic "LOVE" pop art. And who could forget this line: Love means never having to say you're sorry...
The slim novel was a runaway best seller, and the movie adaptation starred Ryan O'Neal and Ali McGraw. (I, like most other people my age, had a crush on her character for years.)
Segal followed his hit with other books, including the tepid sequel "Oliver's Story" and “The Class,” which traces the fates of five members of the Harvard class of 1958. But he never came up with a big hit again as a writer.
Categories: Books to Movies, Obituaries
Comments
He also wrote the screenplay for the Beatles 'Yellow Submarine."
Posted by: tom | January 19, 2010 5:08 PM
Didn't Al Gore claim that the main characters were based on Tipper and himself?
Posted by: Dahlink | January 19, 2010 5:47 PM
What can you say about a seventy two man that died? That he taught at Princeton, he was brilliant, that he wrote the best love story of all time. Rest in Peace Erich. You're the reason I read and the reason I write.
Posted by: Pelham | January 20, 2010 12:41 AM
Last night, Charles Gibson reported that Preppie was based on a combination of "Harvard Roommates Al Gore and Tommy Lee Jones"
Posted by: Eve | January 20, 2010 11:02 AM
God knows how much I miss Erich.Ever since my first glimpse at the film when I was just nine,he has been the beacon of my life for years.I can still feel the fever when years later I read another of his classics True Love.
Posted by: Li | January 21, 2010 11:05 AM
Erich Segal will definitely be missed.
Love Story [the book and movie] moved me incredibly. i was moved to tears each time read the book and saw the movies. And i don't cry at the drop of a feather. The entire cast of the movie left very touching impression on the viewers soul.
Man, Woman, and Child was also incredible. Martin Sheen and Blythe Danner were excellent in the screen adaptation
Posted by: Daisy Greenleaf | April 21, 2010 3:43 AM
i love your books Erich Segal, god bless you and rest in peace
Posted by: Nugroho | November 1, 2010 6:18 AM