Winston Groom, author of Forrest Gump, the 1986 American novel that inspired the classic film, has died aged 77, said the mayor of the Alabama city where he lived. “It is with great sadness that I share the passing of our dear friend Winston Groom. The City of Fairhope has lost an iconic author today,” wrote Mayor Karin Wilson on Facebook. Groom’s book Forest Gump did not find widespread success until the release of the film of the same name in 1994, which starred Tom Hanks and won six Oscars including best picture. The plot centers on the life of a kind man with learning difficulties whose life mirrors key events in America in the 20th century.
