Pulitzer-winning journalist Jim Sheeler dead at 53

Jim Sheeler, who won a Pulitzer for his reporting on families of soldiers killed in the Iraq war and wrote a guide to obituary writing, has died at the age of 53, the Associated Press reported. 

His death last week at his home in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, was confirmed by Case Western Reserve University, where Sheeler taught journalism and media writing. The cause of death was not immediately clear.

A Houston native, Sheeler graduated from the University of Colorado with a degree in journalism and started his career working for various Colorado-based newspapers including the Boulder Daily Camera, The Denver Post, and Rocky Mountain News, according to the AP.

Sheeler began reporting on Iraq War in 2003, following U.S. Marine Major Steve Beck as he informed Colorado families about the deaths of loved ones who had been stationed overseas. 

Sheeler won a feature writing Pultizer Prize in 2006 for his 12,000-word piece titled “Final Salute,” which was adapted to a book under the same name that received a National Book Award nomination two years later.

He also authored numerous books including “Obit: Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People Who Led Extraordinary Lives” and “Life On the Death Beat: A Handbook for Obituary Writers.”

Sheeler is survived by his wife Annick and his son James, the AP noted.