On this day, Aug. 25, in 1984, Truman Capote, the author of the pioneering true-crime novel “In Cold Blood,” died in Los Angeles at age 59.
Capote gained literary acclaim after writing “Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” and became fascinated by a brief item in the New York Times about the unexplained slayings of a farmer and his family in Kansas.
Capote set about creating a new literary genre: the non-fiction novel. He spent six years doing research, and became intertwined in the lives of the two ex-cons accused of killing the Cutler family.
“In Cold Blood” was published in 1966 and became an instant classic. Capote became an instant celebrity.
Capote went into a drug and alcohol spiral. He died of liver disease at the home of Joanne Carson, ex-wife of late-night TV host Johnny Carson.
— Scott McCabe
