Author Vince Flynn, writer of the Mitch Rapp counterterrorism series, died Wednesday in Minnesota after a two-year battle with prostate cancer. Flynn was 47 years old when he passed.

Flynn died this last Wednesday morning in St. Paul. He was surrounded by around 35 relatives and friends who prayed for him in his last moments, according to a longtime family friend.

Flynn published 14 novels centered around the character of Mitch Rapp, who was an undercover CIA agent. Most of those novels have made it to the New York Times bestseller list. Flynn was bold enough to even self-published his first book, "Term Limits," in 1997 before landing a publishing deal.

"If (Tom) Clancy could do it, why can't I?" Flynn said in a 2005 interview with The Associated Press.

Once he released his 13th book, "Kill Shot," Flynn talked with WCCO-TV's Frank Vascellaro about his battle with stage three metastatic prostate cancer. You can watch that full interview here.

"I was in pain writing the last 2 books, but I didn't know how serious it was," Flynn said in early 2012, at the time of the interview.