Aaron Latham, who was he? Leslie Stahl’s husband, the screenwriter for Urban Cowboy, passed away at the age of 77.
Mia Phillips
Updated on March 29, 2026
Aaron Latham, Leslie Stahl’s husband, passed away on July 23 at the age of 78. At the time of his passing, he was a patient at Pennsylvania’s Bryn Mawr Hospital.
In 2020, Aaron was found to have both Parkinson’s disease and Covid-19. Leslie claimed to have caught the virus at the same time as Aaron in an interview with a news organization.
#RIP Aaron Latham; he was the great @LesleyRStahl’s (45 years of marriage) husband. He penned the articles that served as the basis for the Travolta films “Urban Cowboy” and “Perfect,” and as part of his contract, he also agreed to handle the screenplays. @chrissgardne,
Leslie said that she developed pneumonia and had to go to the hospital, but she quickly recovered. She mentioned her husband’s Parkinson’s disease difficulties were made worse by the virus.
Known facts about Aaron Latham
Famous journalist, author, and screenwriter Aaron Latham was. He wrote for magazines and newspapers including Rolling Stone, Esquire, Talk, and The New York Times.
Latham, who was born on October 3, 1943, was raised in Spur, Dickens County, West Texas, not far from Lubbock, by his parents, Cecil Clyde Latham and Annie Launa Cozby. He completed his education at Tucson, Arizona’s Catalina High School before enrolling at Princeton University in New Jersey.
Journalist, screenwriter, and author Aaron Latham
Aaron covered the Watergate scandal for New York magazine while working as a reporter for The Washington Post. Latham co-wrote the script for the film Urban Cowboy with director James Bridges, and his piece served as the inspiration. In 2003, he co-wrote the book for the Broadway musical adaptation.
Latham’s estimated net worth was $3 million and his annual salary as a journalist was $1.8 million. Detailed information about his professional background is not yet available.
Later, Latham was known for being Leslie Stahl’s spouse. In an interview with People, Stahl recounted how they both covered the Watergate incident in 1972 and said,
“He unexpectedly called me. I believe I hit him with the phone. Through the trials and hearings, we dated. What are we going to speak about now, we asked each other when Nixon officially announced his resignation.
The two mentioned their initial encounter in 1977, saying that Latham had first seen Stahl on the news before they really met. Latham claimed to have turned on the television to observe Stahl’s appearance and remarked that she was stunning.
Latham explained that because he did not get the chance on their first date, he did not have to worry about whether he could talk or not. In 1977, they got married and welcomed Taylor Stahl Latham into the world.
Twitter users pay tribute
Due to his impeccable reporting, Aaron Latham’s name became well-known among the general public. When they learned of his passing, admirers posted on Twitter about how sad they were.
Couple: Lesley Stahl and Aaron Latham
on April 23, 2012, in New York City, seeing the Broadway Opening Night Performance of “GHOST” at the Lunt-Fontanne Theater.
My ideal magazine story would be “The Ballad of the Urban Cowboy,” with its reporting, big ideas, and ability to depict an awesomely Texan moment in time. Aaron Latham was a real rock star.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Aaron Latham wrote longform articles for Esquire, Rolling Stone, and Texas Monthly. (According to other sources, he penned the article for TM that served as the basis for “Urban Cowboy”). The article was published in Esquire. Find his book “Perfect Pieces,” which has a collection of these stories.
Author Aaron Latham, whose Texas Monthly article served as the basis for “Urban Cowboy,” dies at 78
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The journalist, author, and playwright Aaron Latham, who was Lesley Stahl’s husband since 1977, has passed away. He fought Parkinson’s for more than 13 years. During our conversation last week, Lesley reported that he deteriorated after contracting COVID in 2020.
This was motivated by reading Aaron Latham, the scriptwriter for PROGRAMobituary. ,’s What a wonderful life and career!
Latham was laid to rest at Spur, Texas, his hometown.
Taylor Stahl Latham and Latham’s wife Leslie Stahl are his only surviving family members.