Tom Clancy, author of such bestselling novels as “The Hunt for Red October” and “Patriot Games,” and a lifelong Republican who counted President Ronald Reagan among his fans, died at the age of 66 on this day in history on Oct. 1, 2013, according to multiple sources.
Clancy was an American author best known for his espionage, military science and technological thrillers, noted Biography.com.
He was the author of 17 New York Times bestsellers — and had his career launched by President Reagan.
“‘The Hunt for Red October,’ his first novel, had been bought for a lowly $5,000 by the Naval Institute Press. When Reagan pronounced it ‘the perfect yarn’ in 1984, Clancy, then a Maryland insurance agent, was propelled into a hugely successful writing career,” said The Guardian.
The plot of the novel was about the defection of a Soviet submarine commander to the United States. The novel captured the spirit of Reagan-era Cold War politics that called attention to Soviet military capability and the U.S.’s capacity to meet and surpass the Soviet challenge, according to Encyclopedia.com.
Bestselling novelist Tom Clancy is shown in 1985. He passed away on this day in history, Oct. 1, 2013, at age 66. (Diana Walker/Getty Images)
To return the compliment to President Reagan, in 1996, Clancy dedicated his book “Executive Orders” to him.
The dedication read, “To Ronald Wilson Reagan, 40th president of the United States: the man who won the war,” reported Politico.
“The Hunt for Red October” introduced Clancy’s most famous character, Jack Ryan, a CIA agent who becomes president.
Ryan has been portrayed by, among others, Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and John Krasinski, in films such as “Patriot Games,” “Clear and Present Danger” and “The Sum of All Fears,” according to The Guardian.
Clancy described the heroic Jack Ryan as a version of himself — “an improved version.”
In several interviews, Clancy described the heroic Ryan as a version of himself — “an improved version, because he never had to get his eyes fixed by an ophthalmologist and all that stuff that I’ve had to do,” according to multiple sources.
Clancy was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1947. He graduated from Loyola College in Baltimore in 1969. He became an insurance agent in Baltimore, and later in Hartford, Connecticut, noted Encycopedia.com.
President Ronald Reagan in 1984 called “The Hunt for Red October,” Tom Clancy’s first book, “the perfect yarn” — propelling Clancy into “a hugely successful writing career.” (David Paul Morris/Bloomberg and Universal History Archive via Getty Images)
His poor eyesight made him ineligible for a military career, but Clancy maintained an interest in the military and researched various aspects of the U.S. Armed Forces and military technology, the same source indicated.
Many of Clancy’s novels earned No. 1 rankings on The New York Times bestseller list.
More than 100 million copies of his books have been sold; a number of his books have been made into movies, according to multiple sources.
“He was often invited to lecture to military audiences and counted high-ranking U.S. army and security services personnel among his friends.”