Edmund White, great chronicler of US gay life in novels and nonfiction, dies aged 85

Edmund White, the American writer, playwright and essayist who attracted acclaim for his semi-autobiographical novels such as A Boy's Own Story, and who co-authored the pioneering sex manual The Joy of Gay Sex, has died aged 85.

- Sian Cain

White died on Tuesday evening at his home in New York while waiting for an ambulance after experiencing symptoms of a stomach illness. His death was confirmed to the Guardian by his agent, Bill Clegg.

White was a major influence on modern gay literature, with LGBTQ+ writing prizes named after him and authors including Garth Greenwell, Édouard Louis, Ocean Vuong, Brandon Taylor and Alexander Chee all noting his importance.

White came to prominence in the late 1970s and said of his generation: "Gay fiction before that, Gore Vidal and Truman Capote, was written for straight readers. We had a gay readership in mind, and that made all the difference."

Michael Carroll, White's husband and partner of almost 30 years, said yesterday: "He was wise enough to be kind nearly always. He was generally beyond exasperation and was generous. I keep thinking of something to tell him, before I remember."

Paul Baggaley, the editor-in-chief of White's publisher, Bloomsbury, said the author wrote "some of the best and bravest novels, biographies and memoirs of the last 50 years, many of which will remain classics for generations to come".