Nelson DeMille, 81, bestselling author, Long Islander, has died

Bestselling author Nelson DeMille, who grew up on Long Island and earned a Bronze Star in Vietnam before setting out on a writing career, has died.

His children, daughter Lauren DeMille, of Sleepy Hollow, and son Alex DeMille, of Brooklyn, confirmed his death Tuesday evening. They said their father died of stage 4 esophageal cancer Tuesday morning at NYU Langone Hospital—Long Island in Mineola. He was 81.

They described the prolific writer and seven-time New York Times bestselling novelist as a wonderful father, someone who was a keen observer with a curious mind who enjoyed being surrounded by family and friends, and was still regaling them with new stories about his life.

"He’s always been someone who brings people together," Alex DeMille said. "I have lots of fond memories sitting around the dining room table, the Christmas tree, or in the kitchen having coffee or wine, he was just a wonderful host. He got joy out of being around people."

Lauren DeMille said while her father was an amazing storyteller, he also was a fun person to tell a story to.

"He was interested, asked the right questions and really got what was really funny or interesting about something you were sharing," she said. "Very engaged, which was part of what made him loved by so many people. You just felt so good when he was interested in what you were saying. He had a very interesting, generous mind."

According to his website, Nelson DeMille was born on Aug. 23, 1943, in New York City. His family moved to Long Island, where DeMille graduated from Elmont Memorial High School. He wrote 23 novels, 17 of which were bestsellers. All of his manuscripts were written in longhand, using No. 1 pencils and legal pads. His first major novel was "By the Rivers of Babylon," published in 1978.

Before going into the Army, he attended Hofstra University for three years, according to his website. After his discharge from the Army, DeMille returned to Hofstra where he received his bachelor’s degree in political science and history.

"He saw action in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader with the First Cavalry Division and was decorated with the Air Medal, Bronze Star, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, and was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge," DeMille's website says.

In 2022, DeMille released "The Maze," a fictionalized tale of the Gilgo Beach killings that also depicted a cascade of corruption in Suffolk law enforcement.

His children said "The Gold Coast," a book DeMille wrote about the ultrarich on Long Island’s North Shore, was his favorite. Alex DeMIlle, who wrote two books with his father, said the pair had been working on a third.

His father championed other people, especially those who did not have the same platform that he had, Alex DeMille said.

"He really went out of his way to help other writers that he believed in," Alex DeMille said. "He had a grace about him, I guess a down to earth quality despite his success."

That warmth and connection was being felt late Tuesday, Lauren DeMille said, as the family received messages from those whom her father had come to know during his long career and those who grew up with him.

"They all seem to feel really connected to and appreciated by him," she said.

DeMille, whose wife, Sandra, died in 2018, is also survived by another son, James.

Services are pending.