Following the great success of his novel "Mister Roberts" (1946) and its 1948 Broadway adaptation,
Thomas Heggen suffered from a severe case of writer's block. Under pressure to turn out another best-seller, he began abusing alcohol and prescription drugs. On May 19, 1949, Heggen was found drowned in the bathtub of his Manhattan apartment. The coroner ruled his death a "probable suicide", though he left no note and those who knew him were adamant that it was a tragic accident.