Edmund White, a pioneer of contemporary gay literature, died this week at age 85. He left behind such widely read works as “A Boy’s Own Story” and “The Beautiful Room Is Empty” and a priceless gift to countless younger writers.

Edmund White, who cracked open the conversation around gay sex in America, has died. He is survived by husband and fellow writer Michael Carroll.

He mined his own varied catalog of sexual experiences in more than 30 books of fiction and explicitly candid memoirs.