David Oliver Relin, co-author with Greg Mortenson of ‘Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace … One School at a Time,’ died Nov. 15 in what is now being reported as an apparent suicide, according to NPR.

Relin is an alumnus of the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

“Three Cups of Tea,” initially released in 2006, is a memoir about how mountain climber and philanthropist Mortenson started schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Relin scheduled a return to Iowa City in April 2007, with Mortenson, to read from the book at Prairie Lights bookstore.

According to the book’s website, “Three Cups of Tea” hit number one on the New York Times Best Sellers List for nonfiction but was also a source of controversy, attracting claims that the book’s contents were false. Four readers even filed a civil suit against Mortenson, alleging fraud and deceit, because of the book. A judge dismissed the lawsuit.

To read more coverage of Relin’s passing, visit www.npr.org.