Author and playwright Gore Vidal died in Los Angeles on Tuesday at the age of 86. He wrote hundreds of essays and many best-selling novels in his long career.
Vidal's best-selling novels and witty, acidulous essays made him one of America's best-known authors. The cause of death was complications from pneumonia, his nephew said, according to the LA Times.
Vidal's career as a playwright is notable primarily for his satire "The Best Man." The play depicts the machinations behind a fictional presidential convention. The play has enjoyed a successful run of more than 500 performances and was nominated for a Tony Award. The current production was nominated for best revival of a play. His other Broadway efforts included "A Visit to a Small Planet," "Romulus" and "Weekend."
He was also proud to be a political and literary troublemaker. A half-century ago, Vidal outraged mainstream critics as one of the first major American writers to describe and embrace unambiguous homosexuality. He referred to himself as a "gentleman bitch" and was as egotistical and caustic as he was elegant and brilliant.
In 2007, Vidal appeared in a Hollywood Bowl concert of Aaron Copland's "Lincoln Portrait." Seated in a wheelchair, Vidal recited Lincoln's text alongside the L.A. Philharmonic, led by Michael Tilson Thomas.
