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Long Island native Nelson DeMille dies at 81

Nelson DeMille attends the East Hampton Library Authors Night at Gardiner Farm.
Scott Roth/AP
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Nelson DeMille attends the East Hampton Library Authors Night at Gardiner Farm.

Nelson DeMille, bestselling crime and suspense thriller author, died on Tuesday. He was 81.

Newsday reports the cause of death due to complications from esophageal cancer.

As a Long Island native, DeMille often used the region as inspiration for his work. This includes his John Corey series, which follows a retired New York homicide detective working with the FBI. The first and eighth books in the series, “Plum Island” and “The Maze,” are based on real crimes on Long Island.

“I based [“The Maze”] on a true crime, which was the Gilgo Beach murders here on Long Island. I’m kind of local, so I was intimately involved, not involved, but I had knowledge of the case through the police who I know who are my sources,” DeMille told Selina Lovett in an interview with Annie’s Bookshop of Worcester last year.

DeMille attended high school in Nassau County and Hofstra University for three years. He then joined the U.S. Army and served as a lieutenant for four years. As an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam, DeMille was recognized with many achievements, including the Bronze Star, the Air Medal, the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry and the Combat Infantry Badge.

When he returned from service, he completed his bachelor’s degree at Hofstra and began his writing career, which spanned nearly six decades.

DeMille wrote 27 books, and was a New York Times Bestseller seven times.

Isabella Fabbo is a news fellow at WSHU.