Death of American novelist Edmund White, leading figure in LGBT+ literature

American novelist Edmund White, a leading figure in LGBT+ literature, has died at the age of 85, his agent announced on Wednesday, June 4.

"Sadly, I can confirm that Ed (Edmund White) died last night at his home in New York of natural causes," his agent Bill Clegg said in an email to AFP.

Born on January 13, 1940, in Cincinnati, Ohio, Edmund White is the author of dozens of novels, several short stories, articles, and essays. From his earliest books, homosexuality has been at the heart of his writing.

Knighted from his first novel Oublier Elena , published in 1973, he notably wrote the very explicit The Joy of Gay Sex (1977), a sort of illustrated Kama Sutra which became an LGBT+ reference across the Atlantic, Nocturnes pour le roi de Naples (1978) and L'Homme marié (2000).

The man who lived in Paris for nearly fifteen years in the 1980s and 1990s is also the author of several biographies devoted to Jean Genet - the work is authoritative - Marcel Proust and Arthur Rimbaud.

His literary successes opened the doors to prestigious universities where he taught writing and queer literature. He has been married to writer Michael Carroll since 2013. HIV-positive since 1985, he suffered two strokes and a heart attack in the 2010s.

"This is such sad news. There was no one like Edmund White!... Amazing versatility of style, bold and innovative subject matter, dark humor, a friend to so many for decades," American writer Joyce Carol Oates reacted on X.

French novelist Edouard Louis also paid tribute to Edmund White on Instagram, calling him an "incredible friend." "Loyal, generous, handsome, caring. He always supported and encouraged young writers like no one else," he added.