Gabriel García Márquez, famed Colombian journalist, novelist, short story writer and screenwriter has died at the age of 87. He is considered one of the most significant authors of the 20th century. Márquez was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1982. He began his career as a journalist while studying law at the National University of Colombia.

Gabriel García Márquez has written many acclaimed non-fiction pieces and short stories. He is best known for his novels including “One Hundred Years of Solitude,” “Autumn of the Patriarch” and “Love in the Time of Cholera.” His work introduced his readers to magical realism, which combines facts and fantasy. Other novels he wrote include “Chronicle of a Death Foretold,” “No One Writes to the Colonel,” “In Evil Hour,” “Of Love and Other Demons” and “News of a Kidnapping” among others.

About 12 years ago, Márquez was diagnosed with lymphatic cancer. He battled it successfully and in 2006 was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His cancer started to spread to his lungs, lymph nodes and liver. The Colombian Nobel laureate was hospitalized on March 31 after suffering from a lung and urinary tract infection. Márquez responded positively to the treatment and was released on Tuesday, April 8 from the National Medical Sciences and Nutrition Institute in Mexico City. Jacqueline Pineda, a spokeswoman for the institute, told reporters that the author’s condition is “delicate due to his age,” but he “will recover at home.”

The writer, affectionately known as “Gabo,” was taken to his home by ambulance in the late afternoon hours. His house was surrounded by journalists and guarded by police, who couldn’t keep up with the reporters’ insistence on snapping a picture of one of the most influential writers of Latin America as he arrived to his residence. García Márquez’s family had to cover him with a bed sheet to prevent film or pictures from being taken. However, a little over a week from his home recovery, Gabo's health failed him once and for all.

According to Mexican journalist Fernanda Familiar, Gabo's heart stopped beating. She claims she was authorized by his family to disclose the news of his death. Spanish newspaper El País also reported that Márquez died. He is survived by his wife Mercedes Bercha and his two sons, Rodrigo and Gonzalo. Rodrigo is a television and film director and Gonzalo is a graphic designer in Mexico City.