found: Washington post WWW site, viewed Dec. 11, 2019(in obituary dated Dec. 11, 2019: William Luce, a playwright best known for exploring the lives of historical figures in single-character dramas, most notably in the acclaimed plays "The Belle of Amherst," about poet Emily Dickinson, and "Barrymore," about actor John Barrymore, died Dec. 9 in Green Valley, Ariz. He was 88. Mr. Luce, who began his career as a musician and singer, had never attempted a play before director Charles Nelson Reilly asked him to write about Dickinson. Then in his 40s, Mr. Luce had published only a few poems and song lyrics. William Aubert Luce was born Oct. 16, 1931, in Portland, Ore. Mr. Luce was a musical prodigy on piano. He accompanied his mother on her Christian Science healing missions and was a church organist in Oregon and Southern California, where he settled in the early 1950s, before eventually leaving the faith. Mr. Luce wrote songs and became a member of the Norman Luboff Choir and Ray Charles Singers--not the same Ray Charles as the popular soul singer--and often appeared on television. After his Broadway success with "The Belle of Amherst," Mr. Luce wrote several scripts for TV movies. He also wrote librettos for several oratorios and an opera, "Gabriel's Daughter," by Henry Mollicone. For many years, Mr. Luce lived near Mariposa, Calif., then later in the Oregon coastal town of Depoe Bay before moving to Arizona)
