Author Maurice Sendak Dead at 83

Author and artist Maurice Sendak died in Connecticut Tuesday morning after complications from a recent stroke. He was 83.

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BY Michelle Garcia

May 08 2012 11:31 AM ET

Children's book author Maurice Sendak died in Connecticut Tuesday morning. He was 83.

Longtime publisher Michael di Capua told The New York Times that Sendak died of complications from a recent stroke.

Sendak, the author of several iconic books including Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, and Higglety Pigglety Pop! came out publicly in 2008. He had lost his partner of 50 years, psychoanalyst Eugene Glynn, in 2007. When asked why he had not been out previously, he said he "just didn't think it was anybody's business."

In 2008, Sendak told the Times that he never came out to his parents, which he then regretted. He said he did not divulge his sexual orientation at first because the idea of a gay man writing children’s books might have killed his career when he was in his 20s and 30s.

In addition to his books, Sendak's illustrative style came to great use when it came to designing theatrical sets. He also provided art for other writers' titles, including those of Herman Melville, Hans Christian Andersen, and Leo Tolstoy.

A picture book dedicated to Sendak's late brother Jack is scheduled to be released in February.

Earlier this year Sendak appeared in a two-part interview with Comedy Central satirist Stephen Colbert. Watch the interview below:

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