The Tennis Partner: Larry Collins (d 2005)

Larry Collins, who co-wrote Is Paris Burning? (and a terrible follow-up many years later called, inevitably, Is New York Burning?) with Dominique Lapierre, died of a sudden cerebral haemorrhage at the age of 75.

"Collins had lived in France for several decades. He and Lapierre played tennis together on a court they built beside their homes from their book earnings, Lapierre said.
"This tennis court played a big role in our career," Lapierre said. "Every time we had a disagreement - and it was rare - we turned to the tennis court. Whoever won the game won the argument."