Sam Shepard, playwright and actor, dies at 73

Sam Shepard, a Pulitzer Prize winning playwright and Oscar-nominated actor best known for his role as Chuck Yeager in 1983 film "The Right Stuff," died Thursday, according to multiple reports. He was 73.

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BroadwayWorld.com reported Monday that Shepard died at his home in Kentucky, surrounded by his children and sisters. He had ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, a nervous system disease that weakens the muscles.

A family spokesperson confirmed his passing to The New York Times.

Shepard, who New York magazine called "the greatest American playwright of his generation," authored more than 40 plays. He won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1979 for his play, "Buried Child."

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Theresa Seiger, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

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