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Beloved children’s author Beverly Cleary, whose characters Ramona Quimby and Henry Huggins enthralled generations of youngsters, has died. She was 104.
Cleary’s publisher, HarperCollins, announced her death Friday. In a statement, the company said Cleary died in Carmel, California, her home since the 1960s, on Thursday. No cause of death was given.
Suzanne Murphy, president and publisher of HarperCollins Children’s Books shared in a statement, “We are saddened by the passing of Beverly Cleary, one of the most beloved children’s authors of all time. Looking back, she’d often say, ‘I’ve had a lucky life,’ and generations of children count themselves lucky too—lucky to have the very real characters Beverly Cleary created, including Henry Huggins, Ramona and Beezus Quimby, and Ralph S. Mouse, as true friends who helped shape their growing-up years. We at HarperCollins also feel extremely lucky to have worked with Beverly Cleary and to have enjoyed her sparkling wit. Her timeless books are an affirmation of her everlasting connection to the pleasures, challenges, and triumphs that are part of every childhood.”
Trained as a librarian, Cleary didn’t start writing books until her early 30s. Her first novel was 1950’s Henry Huggins, based on the children she grew up with in Portland, Oregon. Cleary wrote more than 30 books, which sold millions of copies.
She was predeceased by her husband, Clarence Cleary, and is survived by their two children, Malcolm and Marianne, three grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.
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