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Author Sidney Sheldon Dies at 89

Author Sidney Sheldon has died at the age of 89 of complications from pneumonia.

Sheldon's novels include "Rage of Angels," "Master of the Game," "If Tomorrow Comes," "The Other Side of Midnight," "Windmills of the Gods," and many others. His first novel, "The Naked Face," was published in 1969.

Before he became a novelist, he was a successful television writer and producer. He wrote most of the episodes of "The Patty Duke Show" and he was the creator, producer, and writer for "I Dream of Jeannie," for which he won an Emmy Award.

His other awards include an Academy Award for Best Screenplay for "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer" and a Tony Award for the musical "Redhead".

In 2004, Sheldon told CBS news anchor Julie Chen about his battle with bipolar disorder. He said:

I won an Oscar for "The Bachelor and the Bobby-Soxer," and that was one of the worst nights of my life. I should have been exhilarated, and I was depressed. And I thought, you know, this is--there's something wrong. I'm not happy. And I went to a psychiatrist, and he said, `You have bipolar disorder. You're a manic-depressive.'

On writing and inspiration, he told CNN in 2000:

"Any talent is a gift," he said. "I think we're obligated to work as hard as we can at whatever talent we're lucky enough to have been given, whether it's writing or music or painting. We should just be grateful."

Author Sidney Sheldon Dies at 89

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