James Earl Ray, a Tennessee native, passed away on April 23, 1998 at the age of 70. A convicted murderer, Ray was most widely known for the 1968 assassination of civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, TN. Ray pleaded guilty to originally being indicted on a charge of first-degree murder yet later sought to withdraw his plea and claimed a man named Raoul had masterminded the plan. During the bail hearing, Ray argued that he should be allowed to withdraw his guilty plea because he claimed he had no knowledge of the assassination until after he was taken into custody. Following a long legal battle, Ray remained in prison until 1998, when he died of health complications at Nashville's Riverbend Maximum Security Institution. In the years after his arrest, Ray penned several books and letters from prison, reflecting on his long life, his role in the assassination of Dr. King, and his efforts to withdraw his plea. He is survived by his two sisters.