RIP Tony Hillerman

As the Associated Press and The Oklahoman reported earlier this week, acclaimed author and Oklahoma native Tony Hillerman died Sunday in Albuquerque, N.M. He was 83 and had been in failing health for the past few years.

Hillerman was best known for the lauded Navajo Tribal Police mystery novels, which focused on Navajo police officers Joe Leaphorn and Jim Chee. I’ve read some of them, and highly recommend them.

The Oklahoma native wrote at least 18 Navajo Tribal Police novels, two children’s books, four photography books and his 2001 memoir, “Seldom Disappointed.”

Hillerman was born May 27, 1925, in Sacred Heart. He grew up in Pottawatomie County, attended Oklahoma State University and earned his journalism degree at the University of Oklahoma.

He is survived by his wife, Marie, and their six children. Our thoughts are with them.

To read the NewsOK story about Hillerman’s passing, click here.

To read the AP obituary, click here.

-BAM