Author John Updike Dead at Age 76

Pulitzer Prize winning American author John Updike died Tuesday at the age of 76, said his publicist. Updike had won many literary awards for his writing over the years, and is widely regarded as one of the most prolific writers in modern times.

Updike passed away Tuesday morning following a battle with lung cancer.

Nicholas Latimer, VP of publicity at his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, said, "He was one of our greatest writers, and he will be sorely missed."

Updike was a rarity in the American literary scene. Not only were his books critically acclaimed, but they were also best sellers. Over his career, he wrote over 30 novels and collections of stories. He also won the Pulitzer Prize twice for "Rabbit is Rich" (1981) and its successor, "Rabbit at Rest" (1991). His most recent novel, "The Widows of Eastwick" was published in 2008. A collection of stories called "My Father's Tears and Other Stories" is due out later in 2009.

Updike also penned essays, reviews, short stories, poetry, and even a memoir, and was frequently featured in The New Yorker. He even appeared in a Simpsons episode as an animated version of himself as the ghostwriter of a Krusty the Klown book.

In 1976 he became a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and in 2003 Updike received the National Medal for Humanities at the White House.

Updike has two sons and two daughters by his first wife.