Alan Sillitoe was still working up until his death
The author Alan Sillitoe has died aged 82 at Charing Cross Hospital in London, his family has said.

The Nottingham-born novelist emerged in the 1950s as one of the "Angry Young Men" of British fiction.

His son David said he hoped his father would be remembered for his contribution to literature.

His novels included Saturday Night and Sunday Morning and The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, both of which were made into films.

The two books are regarded as classic examples of kitchen sink dramas reflecting life in the mid 20th century Britain.

Mr Sillitoe left school at 14 to work in the Raleigh bicycle factory in his hometown before joining the Royal Air Force (RAF) four years later.

He worked as a wireless operator in Malaya but while in the RAF, he contracted tuberculosis and spent 16 months in hospital where he began to write novels.

The award-winning writer was married to the poet Ruth Fainlight, with whom he had two children, David and Susan.

As well as numerous novels he published several volumes of poetry, children's books and was the author of a number of stage and screen plays.

In 1995, his autobiography Life Without Armour was well received.

Last year, he appeared on the BBC's Desert Island Discs, where he said if he was castaway, his ideal companions would be a record of Le Ca Ira sung by Edith Piaf, a copy of the RAF navigation manual, The Air Publication 1234, and a communications receiver - but for receiving only.

Veteran television comedy writer and producer Myles Wilder, who wrote for such classic smallscreen shows as "McHale's Navy," died April 20 of complications from diverticulitis in Temecula, Calif. He was 77.

Wilder, nephew to helmer Billy Wilder and whose father was B-movie director-producer W. Lee Wilder, started writing for popular radio series, "The Whistler," during his years at UCLA theater school.

Following a stint in the Army, Wilder and his wife moved to London where he worked on the series "The Adventures of Marco Polo."



Upon returning to the U.S., he became a successful writer-producer of comedy series for more than 40 years. Besides "McHale's Navy" for which he was twice Emmy-nommed, his credits include "The Lucy Show," "The Doris Day Show," "Gomer Pyle," "My Three Sons," "The Brady Bunch," "Get Smart," "The Tim Conway Comedy Hour," "Diff'rent Strokes" and "The Dukes of Hazzard."

Wilder was known for his witty and wry sense of humor, culinary prowess and his love for dogs.

During his varied career, he also worked for Walt Disney developing movies and was in charge of daytime TV for the Hanna/Barbera Studios, where he oversaw the writing and production of "Inch High Private Eye" and "Hong Kong Phooey," among many other animated classics.

He also sold a novel, "Freeze," to Warner Bros.

Wilder retired from the biz in 1994 and became an avocado grower in Temecula.

Survivors include his wife, Bobbe; a daughter; and two grandchildren.

A memorial will be held at 10 a.m. April 28 at the England Family Mortuary in Temecula.