Evan Wright, Generation Kill Writer and TV Producer, Dies at 59

Evan Wright, the journalist-turned-screenwriter best known for writing on HBO’s Generation Kill, has died. Confirmed by his sister Nora (via TheWrap), it’s said Wright died by suicide. He was 59. Wright is best known for his reporting during the War on Terror, traveling to Iraq and Afghanistan to cover the war for Rolling Stone. While embedded with the United States Marine Corps overseas, Wright wrote Generation Kill, a novel that was eventually turned into a prestige HBO series bearing the same name. Wright also served as a writer on the series alongside The Wire‘s David Simon and Ed Burns.

Most recently, Wright produced a docuseries for Max called Teen Torture, Inc., a grim look into the seedy “teen trouble” rehabilitiation industry.

“I try to see things as they are, not as they ought to be. It’s not like there’s some weird, little, small ‘underbelly’ part of America that requires a passport and vaccinations to get to,” Wright said in a 2012 interview with Cleveland.com.

“In my experience, probably a third of all people in public life — from county politicians, to celebrities, to self-proclaimed business gurus, etc. — are liars, crooks, sociopaths of some sort. I think most average people are good and trusting, and want to see the best in others. And the irony is this goodness is what allows all the people I write about to succeed, or achieve public acclaim,” Wright added.

Wright is survived by his wife Kelli and their children Carter, Evan Jr., and Kennedy.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text “home” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org. A list of international suicide hotlines can be found here.