Journalist Evan Wright, who wrote for Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and other outlets and documented the Iraq War in the book ‘Generation Kill,’ died on Friday, July 12. He was 59. According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner’s Office, the cause of death was suicide.
Wright’s widow confirmed his death to Rolling Stone.
Wright wrote extensively about the U.S. military and the Global War on Terror. After several years working as a reporter, Wright went into covering war, going to Afghanistan in 2002. The next year he would embark on his most famous reporting project. Wright was embedded with the Marine Corps’ 1st Reconnaissance Battalion, riding with them in Humvees on the front lines of the invasion of Iraq in 2003. He documented the combat, the lulls between missions and the visceral and honest situation of the war and the Marines who fought it.
He quickly took a liking to the Marines, Wright told Task & Purpose in a 2016 interview. Working with them gave him a chance to see the invasion first-hand.
“So, on a professional level, I wanted to be with the unit that was seeing the most stuff,” he said at the time. “I don’t think that I realized what that meant until we were actually shot at.”
Wright covered the opening weeks of the war for Rolling Stone, following the Marines deeper into the country. The articles, under the title of ‘The Killer Elite,’ would earn Wright the 2004 National Magazine Award for Excellence in Reporting. They also formed the basis for his seminal 2004 book ‘Generation Kill.’ In 2008, the book was adapted into an Emmy Award-winning miniseries for HBO. Like the book, the series remains one of the most accurate and honest depictions of the war in Iraq. In the show he was played by actor Lee Tergesen.
During his teenage years, he was sent to a juvenile delinquents home called The Seed, which would later be the subject of his book The Seed: A Memoir. He also worked in Hollywood as a producer on shows including ‘The Man in the High Castle’ and ‘Homeland.’ Alongside ‘Generation Kill’ and ‘The Seed,’ Wright authored the books 2009’s ‘Hella Nation’ and ‘How to Get Away With Murder in America.’ He co-wrote ‘American Desperado’ with Jon Roberts. Before he covered war, he worked for Hustler and other outlets writing about the porn industry. Other features for Rolling Stone had Wright covering film, pop music and crime.
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After “The Killer Elite,” Wright continued to cover the military and America’s wars abroad. In his 2016 interview with Task & Purpose, Wright explained what he thought made for good war reporting.
“It’s the characters. It’s also not having an agenda. Again, it’s not knowing in advance what you think the story is going to be,” He said. “Immerse yourself in the characters and try to understand their experiences and, in the end, you have to be very critical as a reporter, but it’s the characters.”
If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. Reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling or texting 988 and you’ll be connected to trained counselors.
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