Aaron Latham (October 3, 1943 – July 23, 2022) was an American journalist and screenwriter who was known for the films ''

Urban Cowboy ''Urban Cowboy'' is a 1980 American romantic Western film directed by James Bridges. The plot concerns the love-hate relationship between Buford Uan "Bud" Davis (John Travolta) and Sissy (Debra Winger). The film's success was credited for spur ...

'' (1980), '' Perfect'' (1985), and ''The Program'' (1993).

Biography

Latham was born on October 3, 1943, in

Spur, Texas Spur is a city in Dickens County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,318 at the 2010 census, up from 1,088 at the 2000 census. A city council resolution passed July 2014 proclaimed Spur the "nation's first tiny house-friendly town." On ...

. He was raised in a

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...

family, the son of Annie Launa (Cozby) and Cecil Clyde Latham.People Magazine: "CBS Anchor Lesley Stahl and Writer Aaron Latham Have a Mixed-Media Marriage" By Martha Smilgis
October 31, 1977 Latham attended

Amherst College Amherst College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. Founded in 1821 as an attempt to relocate Williams College by its then-president Zephaniah Swift Moore, Amherst is the third oldest institution of higher educatio ...

, where he studied literature and served as an editor on the ''Amherst Student,'' the college newspaper, graduating in 1966.

Career

He was a regular contributor to such publications as ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...

'', ''

Talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...

'', and ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. He wrote the article that inspired the 1980 movie ''

'' and co-wrote its script with director

James Bridges James Bridges (February 3, 1936June 6, 1993) was an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and actor. He is a two-time Oscar nominee: once for Best Original Screenplay for ''The China Syndrome'' and once for Best Adapted Screenplay for ...

. He also co-wrote the book for the short-lived 2003

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

musical version. He also wrote novels and co-wrote the screenplays '' Perfect'', also with Bridges, another film inspired by his articles, and ''The Program''.

Personal life

Latham married

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...

News and ''

60 Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

'' correspondent

Lesley Stahl Lesley Rene Stahl (born December 16, 1941) is an American television journalist. She has spent most of her career with CBS News, where she began as a producer in 1971. Since 1991, she has reported for CBS's ''60 Minutes''. She is known for her ne ...

in 1977. Their daughter is named Taylor. He died of complications from

Parkinson’s disease Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...

on July 23, 2022, at the age of 78.

References

External links

Production: Urban Cowboy
''Working in the Theatre Seminar'' video at American Theatre Wing.org, April 2003 * 1943 births 2022 deaths American male screenwriters American musical theatre librettists People from Spur, Texas American male dramatists and playwrights Place of birth missing American dramatists and playwrights Journalists from Texas 20th-century American journalists American male journalists American male non-fiction writers Screenwriters from Texas {{US-journalist-1940s-stub