Tom Clancy

He married twice in his lifetime. The first was to Wanda Thomas King, an eye surgeon in 1969. The couple was blessed with four children. They parted ways in 1996, legally separating only in 1999.

Six months after his divorce from his first wife, he tied the knot with freelance journalist Alexandra Marie Llewellyn. The two first met in 1997. They were blessed with a daughter. They remained together until his death in October 2013.

He breathed his last on October 1, 2013, of an undisclosed illness at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Tom Clancy was born on April 12, 1947 to Thomas and Catherine Clancy in Baltimore, Maryland. He was second of the three children born to the couple. His mother worked in a store’s credit department, while his father was employed at the United States Postal Service.

He attained his formal education from Catherine Loyola Blakefield in Towson, Maryland. Completing the same in 1965, he enrolled at the Loyola College for a degree in English Literature.

It was during his years at the university that he applied to work at the Army Reserve Officer’s Training Corps, his lifelong dream. However, his poor vision made him ineligible for the same.

After completing his graduation in 1969, he worked for an insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut. In 1973, he was recruited by the O. F Bowen Agency, an insurance agency. Seven years later, he bought the agency.

His trysts with writing commenced while he was working at the insurance agency. In 1982, he formally began his writing career with the novel, ‘The Hunt For Red October’, which was completed in 1984 and published under Naval Institute Press. The book introduced the fictitious character of Jack Ryan.

The book was well received by the audience initially. Much against his expectations of selling 5000 copies, ‘The Hunt for Red October’ went past the 45,000 mark thus becoming a hit. However, the best was yet to come.

With President Ronal Reagan praising ‘The Hunt for Red October’, the sales of the book achieved a new high and ended up becoming a national bestseller, selling 300,000 hardcover and 2 million paperback copies.

After the success of the book, he became a sought-after name in the literary circle. He was praised by critics and the like for his technical know-how and the accuracy that he brought down to the paper.

Post the extravagant success of his debut novel, his insurance career took a backseat as he focussed more on writing. His next novel ‘Red Storm Rising’ was published in 1986.

He was a master of fiction and was responsible for conceiving the character of Jack Ryan. Most of his works have been adapted into television series, films and video games. Each of his penned books has met with grand reception, making him worth USD $190 million.