Rowling Offers Background to Books
10-Jan-2006 Written by: Carrie Ng
Ever wonder why Harry’s parents had to die? Aside from the obvious (that he is the “chosen one,”) J.K. Rowling explains that unfortunately her mother died after a 10-year struggle with multiple-sclerosis, while Rowling was writing the Potter series.
In 1990 Rowling’s mother died. The pain of losing a parent prematurely (Anne Rowling was only 45) was then transferred on to hero Harry Potter, who loses his parents when he is merely an infant. Rowling expressed that one of those most painful aspects of her mother’s death was that her mother never even knew that Rowling was writing the series.
