Evan Wright, known for his award-winning book Generation Kill, has passed away at the age of 59.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, Wright died by suicide on July 12. His widow, Kelli, confirmed the news to Rolling Stone.
Acclaimed journalist and author’s experience embedding with the U.S. Marine Corps during the 2003 Iraq invasion inspired his Rolling Stone article, The Killer Elite, which won a National Magazine Award in 2004. His subsequent book, Generation Kill, was adapted into a miniseries in 2008.
David Simon, executive producer of the adaptation, shared his memories of working with Wright on social media.
“We’ve lost a fine journalist and storyteller. Evan’s contributions to the scripting and filming of ‘Generation Kill’ were elemental. He was charming, funny and not a little bit feral, as many reporters are. So many moments writing in Baltimore and on set in Africa to remember,” he wrote.
One of the subjects of The Killer Elite, Lt. Nathan Fick, gave tribute in a LinkedIn comment.
“I knew Evan as a good and gentle guy in a place that was neither good nor gentle. He wasn’t a Marine, but many of us who spent March and April, 2003 alongside him have thought of Evan for the past two decades as one of us. Rest in peace, brother,” he wrote.
Throughout his career, Wright contributed to numerous publications, including Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair, and Hustler.
In addition to his notable work on Generation Kill, Wright received a National Magazine Award for Profile Writing in 2008 for his Vanity Fair article Pat Dollard’s War on Hollywood.