Gore Vidal, the brilliant writer famed for his acerbic wit and often sharp political views, has died at the age of 86. He died at his home in Los Angeles on Tuesday evening, his family has confirmed. The cause of his death is believed to be complications from pneumonia.

Gore Vidal wrote 25 novels –  including the best-selling Burr and Myra Breckenridge.

He also wrote more than 200 essays and several plays.

He ran for political office twice.

His circle of friends included Tennessee Williams, Orson Welles and Frank Sinatra. He was also closely linked to the Kennedy family, becoming a confidant of Jackie Kennedy, who was his stepsister. Vidal ran for a seat in Congress in 1960 and again in 1982, but lost both times.

He was deeply critical of George Bush’s administration and in 2008 said of the 2003 war on Iraq:

‘You can see little Bush all along was just dreaming of war, and also Cheney dreaming about oil wells and how you knock apart a country like Iraq and of course their oil will pay for the damage you do. For that alone, he should have been put in front of a firing squad… They – Cheney, Bush – they wanted the war. They’re oilmen. They want a war to get more oil. They’re also extraordinarily stupid. These people don’t know anything about anything.’