JT Leroy
ORG
JT Leroy
A central figure in the case of the mysterious writer JT Leroy has come forward to say that no one named JT Leroy exists, and that the books published under that name were actually written by a San Francisco woman named Laura Albert. She wore a wig and sunglasses as a disguise, an outfit that would become JT Leroy's trademark. Mr. Knoop, whose 25-year-old half-sister Savannah Knoop was unmasked by The New York Times last month as the public face of JT Leroy, said that he had come forward out of concern for his son, family members and others affected by what he called an all-consuming web of deceit.  central figure in the case of the mysterious writer JT Leroy has come forward to say that no one named JT Leroy exists, and that the books published under that name were actually written by a San Francisco woman named Laura Albert. Albert write the books of JT Leroy in their San Francisco apartment. Mr. Cooper championed JT Leroy to writers like Bruce Benderson as well as several prominent Manhattan editors. As the books of JT Leroy built an audience -- the first, ''Sarah,'' was published in 2000, followed by ''The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things'' in 2001 -- Mr. Knoop said, media interest in JT Leroy and his improbable story increased.