The death was confirmed by his personal assistant and director of the Edward F. Albee Foundation, Jakob Holder, who did not reveal the cause, according to United States media reports.
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The play, too controversial for a Pulitzer, painted a scathing portrait of a decaying marriage and solidified Albee’s place in theater history.
Born March 12, 1928, Albee was adopted shortly thereafter and grew up in Larchmont, N.Y. “Maybe I’m being a little troublesome about this, but so many writers who are gay are expected to behave like gay writers and I find that is such a limitation and such a prejudicial thing that I fight against it whenever I can”, he said.
Albee challenged theatrical convention in masterworks such as “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “A Delicate Balance”. It went on to win a Tony Award for best play, had two revivals and was translated to a big screen movie starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. “Seascape” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” were revived on Broadway in 2005, and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” was revived on Broadway again in 2013.
It was one of a number of fruitful productions around the time the playwright turned 80 in 2008.
His wealthy father was the son of vaudeville theater magnate Edward Franklin Albee II.
Albee always considered himself a writer first and foremost.
Before undergoing surgery several years ago, Albee wrote a statement to be released upon his death.
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Sculptor Jonathan Thomas, Albee’s long-time partner, passed away in 2005. Albee said their years together were “as close to a lifetime with someone as anybody gets”.
