JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Greg Iles, the Mississippi author of the “Natchez Burning” trilogy and other works, has died. He was 65.
Iles died Friday after a decades-long battle with the blood cancer multiple myeloma, his literary agent Dan Conaway posted Saturday on Facebook.
Initially diagnosed with the incurable condition in 1996, he kept his illness private until completing his final novel, “Southern Man,” which was published in 2024.
Iles was born in Germany but moved to Natchez, Mississippi, with his family when he was just three years old and developed a deep connection with the region. Many of his stories are set in Mississippi, including the “Natchez Burning” trilogy, historical fiction suspense novels exploring race and class in the 1960s Jim Crow South.
Conaway described Iles as “warm, funny, fearless, and completely sui generis.”
“To be on the other end of the phone as he talked through character and plot, problem-solving on the fly, was to be witness to genius at work, plain and simple,” he wrote on Saturday. “As a writer he fused story-craft, bone-deep humanity, and a growing sense of moral and political responsibility with the ferocious precisions of a whirling dervish or a master watchmaker.”
In March 2011, Iles suffered a ruptured aorta and a partial leg amputation and spent eight days in a medically induced coma after another driver struck his car on Highway 61 near Natchez. He eventually recovered.
Iles performed with the musical group The Rock Bottom Remainders along with popular authors Stephen King, Amy Tan and others.
FILE - New York Times best-selling author Greg Iles of Natchez, Miss., states the need for a change of the Mississippi state flag during the seventh annual Statehood Day celebration Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015, in Jackson, Miss. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
ATLANTA (AP) — Kevin Stefanski was hired as coach of the Atlanta Falcons on Saturday night, getting a second chance to lead an NFL team less than two weeks after he was fired by the Cleveland Browns.
Stefanski spent six seasons with Cleveland, where he twice was named AP Coach of the Year and had a 45-56 record. He was fired on Jan. 5 after the Browns finished a 5-12 season.
Stefanski replaces Raheem Morris, who was fired alongside general manager Terry Fontenot after an 8-9 campaign in his second season leading the franchise. He will report to newly appointed team president Matt Ryan, who also holds most of the Falcons' major passing records.
“We’re thrilled to land a lead-by-example leader in Kevin Stefanski, who brings a clear vision for his staff, our team and a closely aligned focus on building this team on fundamentals, toughness and active collaboration with every area of the football operation,” Ryan said in a statement.
Falcons owner Arthur Blank brought Ryan on as his second-in-command and the leading decision-maker for the franchise.
“Coach Stefanski is a team-first leader who puts a premium on accountability for everyone and a player-driven culture,” Ryan said. “His experience in Cleveland and Minnesota has given him a great understanding of the importance of working in sync with scouting, personnel and the rest of the football staff to maximize talent across the roster and in doing everything possible to put our players in the best position to succeed.”
Stefanski was named AP Coach of the Year in 2020 after leading the Browns to an 11-5 record, their first playoff appearance since 2002 and their first postseason win since 1994. He was honored again in 2023 when the Browns finished 11-6 and made the playoffs, but those were his only two winning seasons with Cleveland.
The coach climbed the ranks in Minnesota for 14 years with the Vikings before being hired by Cleveland in 2020. He overlapped with Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2018 and 2019.
“I’m beyond thrilled to be charged with leading this iconic franchise,” Stefanski said. “I am grateful to Mr. Blank and Matt Ryan for trusting me to coach this football team and there are many talented players on our roster that I cannot wait to coach. We share a vision for this football team that I believe will make Falcons fans everywhere proud."
Stefanski inherits a roster that includes four players who were named All-Pros in 2025. Bijan Robinson was named a first-team running back and second-team all-purpose player. Tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., right guard Chris Lindstrom and safety Jessie Bates III each earned second-team honors.
But he also has to weather some uncertainty at quarterback. Shortly after signing Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal in 2024, the Falcons drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round of the NFL draft. Cousins lost the starting job after underperforming midway through the 2024 season. Penix finished his rookie season and started the 2025 campaign as the starter before going down with a season-ending knee injury.
Cousins stepped in for the last nine games, leading the Falcons to a 5-4 record and four straight wins to close out the season. Penix's recovery is expected to linger into training camp.
Stefanski has experience with quarterback uncertainty. The Browns had rotating quarterbacks throughout most of his tenure after trading former first-overall pick Baker Mayfield and acquiring Deshaun Watson. Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders each made starts in 2025.
The Falcons also have several other staffing decisions ahead of them, including general manager.
“We will get to work immediately putting together a first-class coaching staff and working hard to get to know all the great people that are so important to getting us all where we want to go,” Stefanski said.
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Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski speaks at a news conference after an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Sunday, Jan. 4, 2026, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Joshua A. Bickel)
