Who Is Edmund White's Husband? Meet His Partner, Michael Carroll

American novelist and essayist Edmund White, who was widely known for centering his writing around gay literature and was openly gay himself, died on June 3, 2025, after experiencing symptoms of a stomach illness while waiting for an ambulance. His agent, Bill Clegg, confirmed the news to The Guardian. He was 85 years old.

Some of Edmund's most prolific work included A Boy’s Own Story and the more forward book The Joy of Gay Sex, which he co-wrote alongside Charles Silverstein. That book was later revised and expanded in 2006.

Edmund’s legacy will undoubtedly live on through his work, but also through the people he leaves behind, specifically, his husband. So, who was Edmund White married to?

Edmund White was married to fellow writer Michael Carroll. The two met in the mid-1990s and tied the knot in 2013. Michael, who was 25 years younger than Edmund, shared an interesting life with him that included hosting dinner parties, something Michael initiated as a way to bring more life into their home after Edmund suffered a heart attack in 2014, per The New York Times.

They also had an open marriage, which probably isn’t all that surprising considering how candid Edmund was about his sexuality and his exploration of it. From hiring sex workers, the first being Kentucky "hillbillies," he once told The Guardian in January 2025, to calling someone over at 3 a.m. while writing in his thirties, Edmund was always open about his experiences.

The '80s weren’t any different. He vacationed in a Cretan village where he could hook up with just about anyone, for a price, of course. "Everyone was available for a price, even the mayor," he told the outlet. Gay bars in New York were another frequent stop, and he admitted he preferred the hustler bars to the others.

Edmund had an obsession with sex, something he wasn't afraid to admit. "I would be horny all the time," he told The Guardian. "I would look up the word 'homosexual' in the dictionary and get very excited just by seeing it." He lost his virginity by the time he was 13, and over the course of his life, he estimated that he’d slept with around 3,000 men. Some people were even surprised that the number was that low, though others likely have different thoughts on it.

But somewhere between the casual sex, living in Paris, and publishing groundbreaking work, Edmund received a life-changing diagnosis. He was diagnosed HIV-positive in 1984. At the time, he thought he only had a few good years left, but thankfully, he was wrong.

In his writing, Edmund mostly kept his relationship out of the picture, possibly in case things didn’t last. "I’ve always thought that writing about someone is the kiss-off," he told The Guardian. Still, he and Michael appeared happily married and shared a mutual respect for their open relationship. In a January 2025 interview with the outlet, Edmund revealed, "Michael has a full-time lover who lives with us," adding, "We’re very, very close, but not sexually."

At the time, Edmund was also chatting with someone named Rory over Skype, though he wasn’t exactly eager to take things further. "He keeps annoying me, wanting to have sex, but I don’t really want to do it," he said, blaming his age and the fact that he couldn’t take male hormones due to a heart condition.

Still, Edmund lived life entirely on his own terms, fully and unapologetically.