'City of Joy' author Dominique Lapierre dead at 91

Renowned author Dominique Lapierre, whose novels sold tens of millions of copies, has died. The news was announced by his wife.

"At 91, he died of old age," Lapierre's wife told the French newspaper Var-Matin on Sunday. She added that he is "at peace and serene since Dominique is no longer suffering".

Lapierre was known for his passion and love for India and his book 'City Of Joy' based on a slum in Kolkata, remains one of the bestsellers to date.

Born on July 30, 1931 in Chatelaillon, Lapierre has sold about 50 million copies of the six books he wrote in collaboration with the American writer Larry Collins -- the most famous being 'Is Paris Burning?'

The non-fiction book published in 1965 chronicled the events leading up to August 1944, when Nazi Germany surrendered control of the French capital, and was adapted for the silver screen by Francis Ford Coppola and Gore Vidal.

'City of Joy' came out in 1985 and chronicled the hardships of a rickshaw puller in a slum in Kolkata. The book was a massive success. A movie based on it was released in 1992, starring Patrick Swayze and Om Puri and directed by Roland Joffe.

Lapierre donated the bulk of his royalties from 'City of Joy' to support humanitarian projects in Kolkata.

In 2005, he said that thanks in part to this move, as well as donations from readers, it became "possible to cure a million tuberculosis patients in 24 years (and) to care for 9,000 children with leprosy".

After "Is Paris Burning?", he continued his fruitful partnership with Collins.

The duo authored "Or I'll Dress You in Mourning" (1968), "O Jerusalem" (1972), "Freedom at Midnight" (1975), "The Fifth Horseman" (1980), and the thriller "Is New York Burning?"

For a long time, Lapierre lived near Collins in Saint-Tropez, their residences separated by a tennis court.