Gay black writer E. Lynn Harris died at 54

Author E.lynn Harris died at 54 on Thursday night E. Lynn Harris, the author who introduced millions of readers to the "invisible life" of black gay men, was a literary pioneer whose generosity was as huge as his courage, friends said Friday.Laura Gilmore said E.lynn Harris collapsed at a Los Angeles hotel on Thursday and could not be revived. Harris was on a business trip to the city to Los Angeles, California, said Laura Gilmore, his publicist. Publicist Laura Gilmore said E.lynn Harris died Thursday night after being stricken at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, and a cause of death had not been determined. She said E.lynn Harris, who lived in Atlanta, fell ill on a train to Los Angeles a few days ago and blacked out for a few minutes, but seemed fine after that.

E. Lynn Harris
Born	June20,1955	Flint, Michigan
Died	July 23,2009	,Los Angeles, California
Nationality	American
Alma mater	University of Arkansas
Occupation	Author

In this July 7, 2008 file photo, author E. Lynn Harris poses in the living room of his home in Atlanta.

Long before the secret world of closeted black gay men came to light in America, bestselling author E. Lynn Harris introduced a generation of black women to the phenomenon known as the "down low."

E.lynn Harris endeared such characters to readers who were otherwise unfamiliar with them, using themes and backdrops familiar to urban professionals, conditioned by their upbringings, their church leaders or their friends to condemn and criticize homosexuality in the African-American community. A proud Razorback cheerleader at the University of Arkansas who struggled with his own sexuality before becoming a pioneer of gay black fiction, E.lynn Harris died Thursday at age 54 while promoting his latest book in Los Angeles.

Harris was born in Michigan and worked as a computer salesman before taking up writing. He self-published his first book, "Invisible Life," in 1991.

After struggling with his sexuality he became one of the pioneers of gay, black fiction. He wrote 11 books, many of them best sellers including "A Love of My Own," "Abide With Me" and the memoir "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted."

E.lynn Harris's most recent novel, "Basketball Jones," was published in January. Gilmore said he had another book set for release in October.

"His pioneering novels and powerful memoir about the black gay experience touched and inspired millions of lives, and he was a gifted storyteller whose books brought delight and encouragement to readers everywhere," Alison Rich, publicity director at publisher Doubleday, said in a statement.In 15 years, Harris became the genre's most successful author, penning 11 titles, ten of them New York Times .

In 2000, Harris told the magazine Entertainment Weekly how important "Invisible Life" was for him.

''When I wrote "Invisible Life," it had to be the first book out of me -- it helped me to deal with my own sexuality,'' Harris said. "'For me, my 20s and early 30s were spent just hiding and running, because there was no one to tell me that my life had value and the way I felt was okay.''

Standing room only at his book events

"It's heartbreaking; he had such a generous spirit," said Tananarive Due, author of "Blood Colony."

"When I was just starting out, he flew me to an event out of his own pocket and put me up just because he thought more people should know my work," Due said.

E.lynn Harris was as generous with his fans as he was with his friends, some said.

They describe an author who held dinner parties for aspiring writers at his home, loved meeting and hugging fans at book readings, and never seemed to let his fame change him.

"You could get trampled at an E. Lynn Harris reading," Ansa said. "People loved him."

Due said Harris would answer up to 200 e-mails from his fans each day. She said Harris had been a cheerleader in college "and a spirit of joy followed him through his life."

"He genuinely loved being around people and remembered names," Due said. "I remember seeing him at an event in Florida, and one woman in the crowd raised her hand and he said, 'Oh, Mary, you were here for my hardcover book signing.'"

Nonetheless, E.lynn Harris had his share of personal pain.

E.lynn Harris grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas. In his 2003 memoir, he wrote about enduring abuse by his stepfather and an attempted suicide in 1990.

And he had critics. Some said Harris was a mediocre writer who stumbled on a winning literary formula. Boykin says Harris was stung by some of the criticism.

"He always said 'I'm not a James Baldwin,'" Boykin said, referring to the openly gay black author from the 1960s. "He was writing accessible literature for the masses."

Boykin said E.lynn Harris received most of his criticism not from outraged straight critics, but people within the black community.

"He was hurt by some of the criticism from some black gay men who felt he wasn't portraying them accurately and others who thought he was telling too much," Boykin said.

In a 2003 Detroit Free Press interview, Harris said he resisted becoming an advocate for gay rights.

"It's such a small part of who I am, " he said. "It's what I do when I'm with my partner that puts this label on me. Most of my friends are straight. I tend to have a regular life, if you will."

Due said there has traditionally been a lot of pain associated with homosexuality in the black community. Harris took a little of that pain away with his life and his books.

"He really helped let the air in," Due said. "He helped us all breathe a little better."