Seamus Heaney, Irish Poet, Dies Aged 74

1995 Nobel Laureate

Seamus Heaney, "acclaimed by many as the best Irish poet since Yeats," has died, the BBCand other news outlets are reporting.

Heaney was 74 and had recently been in ill health. According to The Irish Times, he died Friday morning at the Blackrock Clinic in Dublin. Sky TV has a short statement from Heaney's family announcing his death. The Associated Press adds that Heaney's publisher, Faber & Faber, has also confirmed the news.