Novelist Arthur Hailey ("Airport", "Hotel") dies

NASSAU, Bahamas - Arthur Hailey, the best-selling author who plucked characters from ordinary life and threw them into extraordinary ordeals, died in his home in the Bahamas, his wife said Thursday. He was 84.

Hailey died in his sleep Wednesday a few hours after having dinner with two of his six children at his home in Lyford Cay on New Providence island, his wife, Sheila, said. She said doctors believe he had a stroke.

"It is obviously a shock to wake up to, but it was peaceful," she said. "Arthur was a very humble man but was delighted with the letters he used to get from readers praising his books. He was incredibly proud of them."

The British-born writer's knack for turning the mundane into thrilling tales brought 11 books published in 40 countries and 38 languages, with 170 million copies in print.

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=8&u=/ap/20041125/ap_on_en_ot/bahamas_obit_hailey

But I like most of his stuff. God bless him and his family.

No, Arthur Hailey's books weren't great literature. But I remember reading them all...particularly "Wheels". Hailey's books were entertaining...and he did research on them (information about the inner workings of the hotel industry, or auto industry)

That's sad to hear about his death.