'To Kill a Mockingbird' author Harper Lee dies at 89

Sad day in Monroeville

Spencer Madrie, owner of the Ol' Curiosities & Book Shoppe dedicated to the work of Lee and other Southern authors, said Monroeville was in a somber mood.

"You wish somebody like that could go on forever and be this lifelong legend," he said. "You don't ever consider somebody like that passing, even though her legacy will last for generations after."

Monroeville, which inspired the town of Maycomb in the book, eventually took on aspects of a "To Kill a Mockingbird" theme park with statues of the main characters, murals of important scenes, a museum display and tours of the courtroom.

Lee's state of mind would become an issue last year when plans were announced to publish "Go Set a Watchman." Some friends said that after the death of her sister Alice, who handled Harper's affairs, lawyer Carter had manipulated Lee to approve publication.

Carter had said she came across the "Watchman" manuscript while doing legal work for Lee in 2014 and an investigation by Alabama state officials found there was no coercion in getting Lee's permission to publish.

A family friend, the Reverend Thomas Lane Butts, told an Australian interviewer that Lee had said she did not publish again because she did not want to endure the pressure and publicity of another book and because she had said all that she wanted to say.

Despite her private nature, Lee regularly attended an annual luncheon at the University of Alabama to meet the winners of a high school essay contest on the subject of her book.

In November 2007, she went to the White House to accept a Presidential Medal of Freedom from President George W. Bush, who at the time called her book "a gift to the entire world."

Bush said in a statement on Friday that he and his wife, Laura Bush, a former librarian, mourned Lee. "Harper Lee was ahead of her time and her masterpiece 'To Kill a Mockingbird' prodded America to catch up with her," he said.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Lee "had a way of telling stories that does have an influence and resonates with so many Americans." He said President Barack Obama had great respect for her.

News of Lee's death spread widely on social media and tributes poured in from well-known figures, such as Apple Inc Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook, who quoted the author in a tweet by saying, "Rest in peace, Harper Lee. 'The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience.'"