Plainsong author Kent Haruf has died at the age of 71.

The writer passed away on Sunday (30Nov14) after a battle with cancer.

The son of a preacher, Haruf set many of his works in the fictional town of Holt in his native Colorado and first gained literary recognition with his 1984 novel, The Tie That Binds.

He scored a U.S. bestseller with 1999's Plainsong, about the interlocking stories of families in Holt, which was named as a finalist for the National Book Award for Fiction.

Haruf's other notable works include Where You Once Belonged and Plainsong's sequel, Eventide.

His final work, Our Souls at Night, is scheduled for release next year (15).