Billie Letts

Billie Letts
Born
Billie Dean Gipson

(1938-05-30)May 30, 1938
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedAugust 2, 2014(2014-08-02) (aged 76)
Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.
Occupation(s)Novelist, educator
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1958; died 2008)​
Children3; including Tracy

Billie Dean Letts (née Gipson; May 30, 1938 – August 2, 2014) was an American novelist and educator. She was a professor at Southeastern Oklahoma State University.

Biography

Letts was born as Billie Dean Gipson[1] in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the daughter of Virginia M. (née Barnes), a secretary, and William C. Gipson.[2]

She married Dennis Letts, a professor and actor, in 1958.[1] The couple had three children: Dana, Tracy (a playwright), and Shawn (a jazz musician/composer).[3][4] Dennis Letts served as editor for his wife's novels.[1][5] He died of lung cancer in Tulsa on February 22, 2008, aged 73.[1][5]

Letts died in a Tulsa hospital from pneumonia on August 2, 2014, aged 76. She had recently been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.[6][7]

Novels

  • Where the Heart Is (1995)
  • The Honk and Holler Opening Soon (1998)
  • Shoot the Moon (2004)
  • Made in the U.S.A. (2008)

Awards and honors

References

  1. ^ a b c d "TV and film actor Dennis Letts dies". Tulsa World. 2008-02-24. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  2. ^ "Letts, Billie 1938–". highbeam.com. Archived from the original on 11 June 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
  3. ^ Letts family information Archived April 28, 2007, at the Wayback Machine, twbookmark.com; accessed August 13, 2014.
  4. ^ Excerpt from Playbill Archived March 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine; accessed August 13, 2014.
  5. ^ a b "Dennis Letts, 73, a Professor Who Became Broadway Actor, Dies". New York Times. Associated Press. 2008-02-25. Retrieved 2008-03-08.
  6. ^ Obituary for Billie Letts, nytimes.com, August 5, 2014; accessed August 13, 2014.
  7. ^ Dee Duren. "Best-Selling Oklahoma Author Billie Letts Dies". NewsOn6.com. Retrieved 2014-08-05.
  8. ^ "Billie Letts". www.fantasticfiction.co.uk.
  9. ^ "Interview With Billie Letts". Archived from the original on 2014-02-28. Retrieved 2007-04-27.


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