LONDON — Erich Segal, the author of the hugely popular novel “Love Story,” has died of a heart attack, his daughter said yesterday. He was 72.
Francesca Segal said her father died Sunday at his home in London. She said he had suffered from Parkinson’s disease for 25 years. His funeral was held in London yesterday, she said.
Segal was a Yale classics professor when he gained nationwide fame for the book “Love Story” about a young couple who fall in love, marry and discover she is dying of cancer.
The book was turned into a hit film in 1970, starring Ryan O’Neal and Ali MacGraw. It gained seven Oscar nominations — including one for Segal for writing the screenplay.
Its most famous line — “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” — became a national catch phrase.