Iconic novelist and political commentator Gore Vidal died this week from complications of pneumonia and heart problems. Vidal’s nephew Burr Steers told the Los Angeles Times Vidal passed away Tuesday at his Hollywood Hills home. He was 86.
Vidal wrote 24 novels, two memoirs, several Broadway plays, numerous screenplays and over 200 essays. He was outspoken about gay rights and politics, and even ran for Congress in New York and the Senate in California. Vidal was responsible for publishing one of the first American novels to depict a clearly gay character, 1948’s The City and the Pillar. His other well known work includes Myra Breckinridge, Burr, Two Sisters and Lincoln. Vidal’s plays include A Visit to a Small Planet and The Best Man. His last novel, The Golden Age, was published in 2000.
Vidal has affairs with women and men. He was briefly engaged to actress Joanne Woodward. Vidal remained with partner Howard Austen from 1950 until Austen’s death in 2003.
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