FAIRHOPE, Ala. (AP) — Winston Groom, the writer whose novel “Forrest Gump” was made into an Oscar winning 1994 movie that became an enduring cultural phenomenon, has died.
His death was confirmed Thursday night by Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey and the mayor of Fairhope, Alabama, where Groom lived.
“Forrest Gump” was the improbable tale of a slow-witted man who was a participant or witness to key points of 20th Century history — from Alabama segregationist Gov. George Wallace’s “stand at the schoolhouse door” to meetings with presidents. The movie version won the best picture Oscar and five other Academy Awards, including a best-actor win for Tom Hanks.