Harper Lee: George W. Bush salutes late author

Accolades continue to roll in for To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee after her death at 89. The latest comes from a high place: none other than former U.S. President George W. Bush.

Bush honored Lee with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2007, and sent a statement after the official announcement of Lee’s death on Friday.

“Laura and I join our fellow Americans in mourning the death of a legendary novelist and lovely lady, Harper Lee,” Bush said. “Harper Lee was ahead of her time, and her masterpiece To Kill a Mockingbird prodded America to catch up with her.”

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Bush quoted his own words from 2007, when he declared “this daughter of Monroeville, Alabama had something to say about honor and tolerance and, most of all, love — and it still resonates.”

“Laura and I are grateful for Harper Lee and her matchless contributions to humanity and to the character of this country,” Bush’s statement concluded.