Greg Iles dies at 65 from Cancer: Everything to know about the New York Times best-selling author

Greg Iles was battling multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer, when he passed away at 65 on August 15, around 5 a.m. The Mississippi native was a well-known author of several New York Times best-selling novels, including Natchez Burning, The Quiet Game, and The Devil’s Punchbowl. His most recent work, Southern Man, was published in May 2024.

Greg was born in Germany in 1960, where his father ran the US Embassy Medical Clinic during the height of the Cold War. Iles spent his early years in Natchez, which also served as a backdrop for many of his novels.

Natchez’s Mayor Dan Gibson, in a statement, paid tribute to the author, saying:

"I am heartbroken to hear the passing of our beloved native son, Greg Iles. Greg was a talented and brilliant author who never backed away from standing for justice and being an outspoken advocate for change. His books were captivating and in fact mesmerizing. Once I would start reading one I struggled to put it down."

He continued:

"Sometimes I would stay up all night straining to stay awake as I turned each page. I was so blessed to call Greg a friend, not only personally but a friend to all of Natchez. We will forever miss him."

More about Greg Iles' life

After moving from Germany to Mississippi, Greg Iles graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1983. As per his website, during his time at Ole Miss, he lived in a cabin where William Faulkner and his brother heard stories by “Mammy Callie,” their beloved nanny, who had been born enslaved.

According to a health update on his website, Iles was first diagnosed with cancer at the age of 36 in 1996. On his website, he wrote:

"After nearly dying from an experimental treatment, I - with the blessing of my father, the inspiration for Dr. Tom Cage - withdrew from the medical system and continued my writing career, while keeping my illness completely secret."

Iles noted that keeping cancer a secret caused him anxiety. However, he still managed to live more than two decades as “one of the luckiest patients alive.”

He launched his literary career in 1993 with a thriller novel about the Nazi war criminal Rudolf Hess. Beyond his writing career, Greg Iles was also a member of the legendary lit-rock group “The Rock Bottom Remainders.” Greg returned to the musical stage alongside Stephen King after recovering from injuries stemming from a near-fatal car accident in 2011.

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