French author Maurice Druon dies at age 90

PARIS - French author Maurice Druon, a fighter for France's World War II Resistance movement and writer of one of its anthems, has died. He was 90.

President Nicolas Sarkozy hailed Druon Tuesday as a "grand scribe and a grand soul" in a statement released by his office.

The New York Times reported Druon died Tuesday of cardiovascular problems, quoting a spokesman for the Academie Francaise, the state-sponsored body that oversees French language and usage, on which he served for more than four decades.

Born in Paris on April 23, 1918, Druon joined the movement against France's German wartime occupiers in his mid-20s and co-wrote "Le Chant des Partisans," or "The Partisans' Song."

After the conflict he wrote historical novels including the "Rois Maudits," or "Accursed Kings" series. Druon is survived by his wife, Madeleine.

A service of the Associated Press(AP)