Prolific Author Edmund White Has Died at the Age of 85 After Decades of Novels and Memoirs

Author Edmund White, known for his work in gay literature and his numerous personal memoirs detailing his own experiences as a gay man, has died. He was 85 years old. According to USA Today, White's agent told the outlet that the author died on June 3, 2025. But those who followed his career since the '70s want to know what Edmund White's cause of death was.

Although White did have a history with HIV, it was reportedly not a factor in his death. His agent shared few details with USA Today following the announcement that the author died in his home. White is survived by his husband, Michael Carroll, whom he married in 2013. Carroll is also an author, and he was with White before he died.

According to White's agent via USA Today, he died of natural causes. He had no major illness leading up to his death at the age of 85 that specifically caused it. However, per The Washington Post, White did have some health problems over the years aside from his 1985 HIV diagnosis. The outlet reported that the author also had a heart attack at one point and even multiple strokes.

Through all of that, White continued to write novels, nonfiction books, memoirs, and even a play. His memoirs, however, are part of what arguably helped put White on the map as an important figure for gay rights. His 2005 autobiography, My Lives, details what it was like for White to grow up in America as a gay adolescent boy.

In 2025, White released another memoir called The Loves of My Life: A Sex Memoir. As the title suggests, the book features actual accounts of White's sexual encounters throughout his life, from his younger years with men in the Midwest to encounters he paid for or was paid for himself. It wasn't the first time White opened up in such a way to his readers, but it was another way he shared his raw honesty before his death.

According to The Guardian, White and his husband, Michael Carroll, were together for more than 30 years when White died. The outlet reported that Carroll said of his late husband, "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."

After White's death, Carroll shared some Instagram posts of photos that were taken shortly before and shortly after White's death in their home. In one post, Carroll wrote about a play White wrote and how it was supported at Sundance once.

"He was so enlivened by his time in Utah as we all were by his presence," Carroll wrote. "His body of work leaves me breathless."