Gail Sheehy was a journalist and author known for her best-selling book “Passages” and as a writer for New York Magazine.
- Died: Monday, August 24. (Who else died on August 24?)
- Details of Death: Died at the age of 83 from pneumonia complications.
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High Profile Author
Sheehy was known for writing enlightening articles on high profile personalities including Anwar Sadat, Margaret Thatcher, Newt Gingrich, and George W. Bush. She also wrote investigative pieces on social issues such as drug abuse and prostitution. Many of her articles were featured in New York Magazine. Sheehy wrote a 1999 biography on Hillary Clinton titled “Hillary’s Choice.” Her 1976 book “Passages,” about people experiencing a mid-life crisis, was a best seller.
She wrote about character, not achievements
“I’m looking for their character, which is not about policy,” “Character is what was yesterday and will be tomorrow. What I do is — or I did when people were affording it — was to interview no less than 40 people who knew the person I was writing about, and they would provide incredible insights into a person’s habitual behavior. So that by the time I got to my quarry, I could collaborate with them on trying to lay out the themes of their life and they were much less resistant than they would be if I just walked in and started hammering them with difficult questions.” – 2014 interview for NPR’s “All Things Considered”
What they said about her
Full Obituary: Variety
