American writer Larry Collins, whose passion for history spawned a string of international best sellers including “Is Paris Burning?”, died Monday in southern France of a cerebral hemorrhage. He was 75.

The attack occurred at Collins’s home in the small Riviera town of Ramatuelle. He was taken to the hospital in nearby Frejus where he died, said his literary partner, Dominique Lapierre. The two coauthored five nonfiction books, including: “Or I’ll Dress You in Mourning” (1968) about fabled Spanish bullfighter Manuel Benitez “El Cordobes”; the best seller “Freedom at Midnight” (1975) about India’s freedom from British rule, and “O Jerusalem” (1971), about the birth of the Jewish state.

Mr. Lapierre and Collins met while the American was serving in the U.S. Army, based at the Allied Headquarters in Paris, from 1953-1955. Their friendship grew into an acclaimed writing partnership that blossomed over five decades.

“There wasn’t the least bit of antagonism in 43 years” of collaboration, said Mr. Lapierre, who lived next door to Collins in southern France.

“Is Paris Burning?”, published in 1964, was their first book. A compelling tale of the Nazi occupation of the French capital during World War II, it became an instant classic. It told a story of Hitler’s plan to destroy the French capital should it fall into the hands of the Allies. The book was made into a movie by French director Rene Clement in 1966 with French and American stars – including Alain Delon, Kirk Douglas, and Glenn Ford – and became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic.

Another collaboration was in the works, which Mr. Lapierre said he will try to finish alone. Collins also wrote numerous books on his own, including the novels “Fall From Grace” (1985), “Maze” (1989), and “The Road to Armageddon” (2003) – about Iranian nuclear terrorists out to vaporize Israel.