Writer Gore Vidal has died in Los Angeles at 86. Vidal's family made the announcement Tuesday, leaving a brief message his official website and Twitter account. A novelist, essayist, playwright and screenwriter, Vidal was a leading liberal voice from the 1960's and forward. Once a writer for MGM, he earned fame for his satirical novels, including Myra Breckenridge, which, with its transexual themes, was a highly controversial and groundbreaking work when published in 1968. Vidal won the National Book Award for Nonfiction in 1992 for his collection of essays, United States: 1952-1992. His play, The Best Man , is currently being staged in revival on Broadway.