Vince Flynn, Best-Selling Author Of Mitch Rapp Series, Dies At 47

Vince Flynn, the Mitch Rapp series author, died after a two-year battle with prostate cancer in Minnesota on Wednesday, reported Fox News. He was 47.

Flynn’s first novel Term Limits was also his first New York Times best-seller. After penning the novel while supporting himself as a bartender, he pitched the book around only to receive rejection letters from over 60 publishers. In 1997, he opted to self-publish, and the book became a local best-seller. Not long after, Simon & Shuster imprint Pocket Books signed him to a two-book deal, and Flynn’s career as an author took off.

Over the next 16 years of his career, Flynn put out a total of 14 novels, averaging almost one per year. Most of the novels followed protagonist Mitch Rapp, a counterterrorism operative with the CIA. The Last Man, his final published work, came out in 2012.

"As good as Vince was on the page — and he gave millions of readers countless hours of pleasure — he was even more engaging in person," said Carolyn Reidy, president and CEO of Simon & Schuster. "Yes, we will miss the Mitch Rapp stories that are classic modern thrillers, but we will miss Vince even more."

Flynn, who graduated with a degree in economics from University of St. Thomas, first worked for Kraft General Foods as a marketing specialist. He then went on to pursue a dream of becoming a military aviator with the Marine Corps. When the hope was dashed after he was disqualified from the aviation candidacy because of a history of seizures, he got a job working commercial real estate. It was then he began working on his first thriller, and decided to quit his day job to dedicate himself to his writing. Flynn's best-selling books now count former presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton among their readers, and are rumored to be headed to big screen adaptations.

Flynn is survived by his wife, Lysa Flynn, and three children.

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