Best-selling author Shanna Hogan, 38, has died following a drowning incident at her home in Arizona last month that left her in critical condition.
The Arizona Republic reports Hogan had tripped and fallen into the pool on Aug. 27. Her husband, Matt LaRussa, came home moments later, pulled her from the water and began performing CPR, but she died from her injuries on Sept. 1.
The late author’s friend Kathleen “Katie” Mayer told People that Hogan had been swimming with her toddler son, Zander, when she slipped and hit her head, becoming submerged in the water.
In a post on Facebook, LaRussa shared a letter he read aloud to Hogan just before she passed away.
“You are a wonderful mother and Baby Z will always know who you were and how much you love him He was everything to you and me,” he said. “I promise to do raise him the way I know you would want him raised. To respect his father and learn to take care of everyone he meets.”
He added that he plans to teach their son that Hogan was “a shining light” who would help anyone.
“He will know what I knew the second I met you. That you are a amazing wife, best friend to me and thousands,” he said. “That your heart helped heal people when they were down.”
Hogan was an instructor at Arizona State University where she taught news reporting. She also authored several books, including “Picture Perfect: The Jodi Arias Story,” for which she received nationwide acclaim.
In a statement, Hogan’s literary manager said her humility was remarkable.
"She was probably one of the most grateful authors I've ever represented," Sharlene Martin, who had worked with Hogan since before her first true-crime book published, told the Arizona Republic. "Everything that was done for her, every step forward in her career, she had such gratitude for.”
Her husband said in his post that he was “at peace” with his decision to donate Hogan’s organs and believed she would be too.
“Maybe in the future I can meet all the people you saved and let them know about the most amazing women I will ever meet,” he wrote. “And hopefully I can look into your eyes again and know that person has the most beautiful eyes.”
“You have touched so many people in the world and they will miss you. But I lost my life,” he said. “You made me whole and I will always be grateful for the 20 years we had together.”
CORRECTION (Sept. 8, 2020): An earlier version of this article stated Hogan was 37 at the time of her death. She was 38, and this story has been updated to reflect that.
