W.P. Kinsella, author of the renown novel Field of Dreams, has passed away at the age of 81.
Kinsella struggled with diabetes and had been hospitalized for several weeks when his health suddenly took a turn for the worse. The Canadian novelist utilized the country’s new physician-assisted suicide law to take his own life, a decision that was likely influenced by his experience of watching his father struggle with stomach cancer.
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He penned one of the most memorable novels of all time – a story about baseball that was later used as the basis for the 1989 film Field of Dreams. It inspired readers and viewers to think and dream and also led to a memorable quote we still use today: “If you build it, he will come.”
“He was a dedicated storyteller, performer, curmudgeon, an irascible and difficult man,” said Carolyn Swayze, his agent. “His fiction has made people laugh, cry, and think for decades and will do so for decades to come.”
Kinsella made it point to visit the field as often as possible and always enjoyed being there in person.
“That’s a real thrill,” Kinsella said in 1995 about the field. “I get up there every year. It doesn’t matter when you go there; there’s always 40 or 50 people from all over the world playing catch and you can stand there and watch.”
Kinsella is survived by his two daughters, three stepchildren and four grandchildren.
Thank you for making the world a better place with your work, Kinsella. Rest in peace.