Aaron Latham Cause of Death Tragic: Famed Screenwriter, Journalist Dead at 78

Aaron Latham, a famed journalist and screenwriter who's popularly known for writing articles that inspired "Urban Cowboy" and "Perfect" starring John Travolta, has passed away at the age of 78.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Latham died over the weekend at Bryn Mawr Hospital in Pennsylvania after struggling with Parkinson's disease.

His wife, CBS News veteran Lesley Stahl, confirmed the tragic news to the outlet, saying the journalist's health started declining after being diagnosed with COVID-19 in 2020.

The screenwriter previously worked for renowned news outlets and magazines throughout his career like The Washington Post, Esquire Magazine, Rolling Stone, and The New York Times.

The John Travolta-starring 1980 film "Urban Cowboy" revolved around the writer's article for Esquire about a romance between a mechanical-bull rider and a woman.

The story was translated into a film starring Travolta and Debra Winger.

Latham's written pieces for Rolling Stone about single people and health clubs later inspired the 1985 movie "Perfect" starring Travolta and Jamie Lee Curtis.

He got writing credits for both films as he worked on their screenplays with director James Bridges.

Born on October 3, 1943, Aaron Latham spent his early days in Spur, Texas. His father was a high school football coach while his mother works as a grammar teacher.

Speaking to Texas Monthly in 2000, the journalist said their family would move to a bigger place whenever his father had a winning season.

"I lived in Spur, Munday, De Leon, Abilene. I was a football player until I got hurt during my freshman year. At one practice I ended up at the bottom of a pile, and I had to have my left kidney removed. Off the field, though, I always loved English," he said.

Journalism has always been his passion as he edited the college newspaper before his graduation in 1966 at Amherst.

He continued his studies and earned a Ph.D. at Princeton University.

Speaking about his love life in an interview with People Magazine, Latham was reporting on Watergate when he called Stahl in 1973.

Initially, Stahl wasn't too happy about his call as she reportedly told him, "'How dare you call me at home?'" and asked him to call her at the office the next day before slamming the phone.

They agreed to meet the following day and Latham was curious about what she looked like so he turned on the TV and was stunned by her beauty.

"'She's so beautiful.' My heart stopped, my mouth dried up and I said, 'What have I gotten myself into?'" he said.