Karl E. Meyer was born on 22 May 1928 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. He was married to Shareen Blair Brysac , Sarah Peck and Iris Hill. He died on 22 December 2019 in New York City, New York, USA.
He was a journalist with the Washington Post and the New York Times. He wrote about Castro's rise to power in Cuba, and authored books about international relations, archaeology, and the worldwide illegal trade in stolen artistic treasures and artifacts.