Harper Lee, the world famous author of To Kill A Mockingbird and most recently Go Set a Watchman, died at the age of 89 in her home in Monroeville, Alabama.

Michael Morris, the president of Lee’s publishing house, HarperCollins said, “The world knows Harper Lee was a brilliant writer but what many don’t know is that she was an extraordinary woman of great joyfulness, humility and kindness. She lived her life the way she wanted to- in private- surrounded by books and the people who loved her. I will always cherish the time I spent with her.”

Harper Lee, an Alabama native wrote To Kill a Mockingbird, published her book in 1960, which follows Scout Finch, a fictionalized version of herself in the 1930’s. To Kill a Mockingbird brought to light the way Americans think about race.

To Kill A Mockingbird is often taught in school, and in the Madison City Schools System, students read the classic in the ninth grade.

Bob Jones senior Isabelle Barnes shared her thoughts: “She wrote about something a lot of people weren’t willing to write about during that time period. I think she was willing to take that risk and explore the different types of discrimination that people endured. She was able to to come up with a story that no one had written before.”

The film adaption of To Kill a Mockingbird starring Gregory Peck won eight academy awards. 

Lee lived a private life, and until last July when she released Go Set a Watchman, never chose to publish her works again after the popularity of To Kill a Mockingbird.

In February 2016, it was announced that To Kill a Mockingbird will have debut on Broadway.

John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars, said, “That book is my most prized possession. Ms. Lee lived a private life, but she was quietly and extraordinarily generous.”

Many are reflecting their grief through social media like Twitter, with tags such as #RIPHarperLee and “Harper Lee,” which trended on February 19, 2016.

“Rest in peace, Harper Lee. ‘The one thing that doesn’t abide by majority rule is a person’s conscience,'” said Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.

Lee’s nephew Hank Conner said, “America and the world knew Harper Lee as one of the last century’s most beloved authors, we knew her as Nelle Harper Lee, a loving member of our family, a devoted friend to the many good people who touched her life, and a generous soul in our community and our state.”

Lee remained humble, despite her enormous success, and told Roy Newquist in 1964, “I never expected any sort of success with Mockingbird.”