W.E.B. Griffin, prolific military novelist, dead at age 89
By Associated Press
Feb 18, 2019 4:46 PM CST

NEW YORK (AP) — W.E.B. Griffin, the prolific and best-selling author of military novels, has died.

Griffin, whose real name was William E. Butterworth III, died Feb. 12 at 89. His death was confirmed Monday by his publisher, Putnam, which did not immediately provide additional details.

Himself a military veteran who served in the Korean War, he wrote more than 200 books under W.E.B. Griffin and other names and sold millions of copies. His many popular series included "Badge of Honor," ''Clandestine Operations" and "Presidential Agent." More than 20 novels, including the upcoming "The Attack," were written with his son, William E. Butterworth IV.

Griffin started out writing books under his own name, but worried that libraries wouldn't accept multiple works by the same author in a given year and began using other names.