Edmund White, pioneer of gay literature, passes away at 85
Edmund White, celebrated author who chronicled gay life and love, passes away at 85.
The author Edmund White, who was a famous author dedicated to chronicle gay life through his own experiences, died on Tuesday at 85.
His agent, Bill Clegg, told USA Today, White died on June 3 at his home New York City of natural causes.
Edmund White: A voice for the gay community
White was born in 1940 in the Midwest, he eventually went to New York City to become a paragon of gay life in the U.S.
Before he was diagnosed as H.I.V. positive, in 1982 he had co-founded Gay Men's Health Crisis and served as its inaugural president. The organization had as a goal to advocate for people with AIDS.
The next year he moved to France, to later move back to the U.S. in the late 90's, where he would remain until his death
Edmund White's legacy
In a statement, Clegg explained how Ed became a queer literary icon to many generations of readers. "He was a great flaneur, a wicked satirist, a connoisseur of human vulnerability who stayed connected and contemporary well into his eighties," he said.
Many of his books, such as "States of Desire: Travels in Gay America", became a representation of a vibrant culture just before the AIDS epidemic broke out.
