He was often seen as a writer of excellence and his books brought to the light the secret lives of bisexual me. Openly gay author E. Lynn Harris died Thursday, July 23, at age 54 from an unknown cause after doctors attempted to revive him.
Some of his popular novels were I Say A Little Prayer, A Love of My Own, and most recently, Basketball Jones that tells the story of a professional athlete and his affair with another man. All of his novels shared the common themes of love, bravery, and inspiration.
Harris attracted readers to his vivid and sometimes graphic tales that explored the difficulty of prominent bisexual black men (or men on the down-low) coming to terms with their own sexual identity while continuing relationships with women.
Harris was in denial of being homosexual for years as he also pursued heterosexual relationships. He believes his real-life experiences are what led to his novels authenticity and success.
In a 2003 interview with the New York Times, Harris told the reporter, “There was no category for someone like me who wanted everything I saw on TV and who wanted everything I thought the world wanted for me — a relationship with someone, a home, to achieve a certain degree of the American dream.”
Wow...I knew him, I remember when this happened. In fact, I had just spoken with him like a week before. He'll be missed.
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