WRITER NORMAN MAILER DEAD AT 84

New York City Legend Norman Mailer

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Norman Mailer has died of renal failure, aged 84.The legendary writer passed away on yesterday at a hospital in his native New York City.The father of nine who was married six times - shot to international fame in 1948 with his Second World War classic The Naked And The Dead. He followed it up with a string of controversial best-sellers such as a biography of Marilyn Monroe and the Executioner’s Song about a prisoner on death row. Several of his novels became Hollywood films, including An American Dream starring Psycho beauty Janet Leigh. His latest work, The Castle in the Forest, was published this year. Last month he had surgery to remove scar tissue from around his lung. Gina Centrello, president of Mailer’s publisher, Random House, says he was "more than one of the greatest writers of our time". She adds, "He was a consummate professional, who stimulated us with his passion and ideas and charmed us with his wit and warmth." Funeral arrangements are pending.