June 1 (Bloomberg) -- William Manchester, who wrote biographies of Winston Churchill and Douglas MacArthur and chronicled John F. Kennedy's assassination, died early this morning at his home in Middletown, Connecticut. He was 82.

Manchester had been in poor health, according to a spokeswoman at Wesleyan University, where he was professor emeritus of history.

Manchester is best known for two volumes about Churchill, which together total 1,729 pages. The books both begin with the title ``The Last Lion.'' Manchester said in 2001 that his health wouldn't allow him to finish a planned third volume about the former U.K. prime minister.

The author of 18 books that have been translated into 20 languages, Manchester is also known for ``American Caesar,'' his book about MacArthur, the U.S. general who commanded Allied forces in the South Pacific during World War II, and ``Death of a President'' about Kennedy.

To contact the reporter on this story: Margot Habiby in Dallas at mhabiby@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: June 1, 2004 13:38 EDT