Norman Mailer, Outspoken Novelist, Dies at 84 – New York Times — End of an era that probably really ended around 1980. It was unique to see Mailer walking around the streets of Manhattan during his heyday. He would invariably be surrounded by a large entourage to whom he’d be lecturing while walking. The group would plow down the street. On Park Avenue I once happened upon an entourage with Mike Tyson in the middle. Mailer’s group was more spirited by far. I personally felt Mailer was difficult to read in his later years. Since these sorts of deaths come in threes I wonder who is next.
Norman Mailer, the combative, controversial and often outspoken novelist who loomed over American letters longer and larger than any writer of his generation, died today in Manhattan. He was 84.
