 Tess Slesinger died from cancer at the age of 39.The children from her second marriage are Peter Davis, who is the writer, filmmaker and director of the Academy Award-winning documentary "Hearts and Minds " (1974), and Jane Davis, a wellness and mind-body specialist.In James T. Farrell's novel "Sam Holman" (1983), there are thinly-veiled fictional portraits of many prominent New York intellectuals; the character of Frances Dunsky is based on Slesinger.