Tim LaHaye, ‘Left Behind’ Author, Dies at 90

Evangelical Christian minister and prolific writer penned the apocalyptic series with Jerry B. Jenkins

Tim LaHaye
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Tim LaHaye, the prolific author behind the “Left Behind” series, has died at the age of 90.

The writer and Evangelical Christian minister died in his San Diego, California home on Monday, days after suffering a stroke.

LaHaye is best known as the author of the “Left Behind” series of novels which he co-wrote with Jerry B. Jenkins. With more than 80 million copies sold, the 16-book series told the story of the Christian End Times.

The series was adapted into a film trilogy starring Kirk Cameron in 2000, with subsequent films released in 2002 and 2005. In 2014, Nicolas Cage starred in a reboot film directed by Vic Armstrong.

“Thrilled as I am that he is where he has always wanted to be, his departure leaves a void in my soul I don’t expect to fill until I see him again,” Jenkins said in a statement on Monday. “Writing the ‘Left Behind’ novel series for him and traveling with him all over the country to promote it, I saw the softer side of a man known for strong opinions and polemic views.”

“The Tim LaHaye I got to know had a pastor’s heart and lived to share his faith,” he continued. “He listened to and cared about everyone, regardless of age, gender or social standing. If Tim was missing from the autograph table or the green room of a network television show, he was likely in a corner praying with someone he’d just met — from a reader to a part-time bookstore stock clerk to a TV network anchorman.”

LaHaye was also a prolific nonfiction author, with more than 60 titles to his name, as well as a prominent southern California pastor and the host of the radio-turned-TV program “The LaHayes on Family Life.”

He is survived by his wife, Beverly; four children; nine grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; brother Richard LaHaye; and sister Margaret White.

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