'Love Story' author Erich Segal dies at 72

The writer, born in New York, was buried at a Jewish cemetery on Tuesday morning.

Segal, who captured the hearts of millions with his classic book "Love Story," was suffering from Parkinson’s disease since long. He is survived by his wife Karen and daughters Francesca and Miranda.

Segal’s early life and education
The son of a rabbi, Segal had a lonely childhood. He lived with his ailing grandmother for first six years as his parents' apartment building did not allow children.

Daughter Francesca Segal wrote in 2008, "He served the dual purpose of creating a cast of characters he cared about, and making the cast of his own life care more about him."

Segal attended Harvard College and took various summer courses. Besides obtaining a master’s degree in 1959, he graduated as a class poet and Latin salutorian in 1958.

In 1965, the author received a doctorate in Literature from Harvard University.

Segal wrote on Greek and Latin literature, and published a number of scholarly works. He even taught as a guest lecturer in the University of Munich, University of Princeton and Dartmouth College. He was a regular professor at Yale.

Erich's ”Love Story”
Segal’s “Love Story” was published in 1970. The book was exactly as its title suggested; a compelling love story. It was centered on a Harvard student who faced disapproval from his family for loving a working class girl.

In an interview to Time magazine in 1970, Segal had said, "It's awfully short. It's unabashedly sentimental. But before the end I cried and cried and cried - for 45 minutes. Then I washed my face and finished the book."

The 212-page book was loved by readers around the globe. In 1971, it was turned into a film which starred Ali MacGraw and Ryan O'Neal.

Highly-acclaimed and famous for its quote “Love means never having to say you’re sorry,” the movie was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Picture.

In 1985, Segal wrote the novel “The Class,” highlighting his time at Harvard College. The book was a bestseller, winning literary honors in France and Italy.

Segal also wrote bestsellers like “Doctors,” “Yellow Submarine," "Oliver's Story," “Acts of Faith” and "A Change of Seasons."