Playwright William Luce Passes Away At Age 88

It was reported today that acclaimed playwright William Luce has passed away at age 88.

Luce passed away on Monday, December 9 at a memory care facility. Luce's godson, Grant Hayter-Menzies confirmed that Luce died of complications from Alzheimer's disease.

Luce began his career as an actor and director before going on to pen acclaimed works such as The Belle of Amherst, an exploration of the life of poet Emily Dickinson, and Barrymore, a play about the life of actor John Barrymore.

Luce was the author of a number of other works with real-life subjects including Emily Brontë, Isak Dinesen, Enrico Caruso, Vaslav Nijinsky and Coco Chanel,Zelda Fitzgerald, Molière and Lillian Hellman.

His work in the worlds of television included more bio-projects including The Last Days of Patton about war general William S. Patton, Lucy & Desi: Before the Laughter, chronicling the relationship of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and The Woman He Loved about Wallis Warfield Simpson and Britain's King Edward VIII.

In 2000, soprano Renée Fleming starred in another of his works on the life of Emily Dickinson's life, My Business Is to Love".

His work also include songs for Charlotte Greenberg and Doris Day, several oratorios, and the librettos for the opera, Gabriel's Daughter.