Joan Didion, peerless prose stylist, dies at 87

NEW YORK (AP) — Joan Didion, the revered author and essayist whose provocative social commentary and detached, methodical literary voice made her a uniquely clear-eyed critic of a uniquely turbulent time, has died. She was 87.

Didion’s publisher Penguin Random House announced the author’s death on Wednesday. She died from complications from Parkinson’s disease, the company said.

“Didion was one of the country’s most trenchant writers and astute observers. Her best-selling works of fiction, commentary and memoir have received numerous honors and are considered modern classics,” Penguin Random House said in a statement.

Tiny and frail even as a young woman, with large, sad eyes, she was a novelist, journalist, playwright and essayist.

She was known for her cool and ruthless dissection of culture and politics, from hippies to presidential campaigns to the kidnapping of Patty Hearst. Her essay collection, “The White Album,” has become standard reading, and “Slouching Towards Bethlehem” and “Play It As It Lays” have become essential collections of literary journalism.

Didion’s “The Year of Magical Thinking,” a classic work about grief, won the National Book Award in 2005.

WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 10: U.S. President Barack Obama (R) helps as author Joan Didion (C) is escorted from the stage after being presented a 2012 National Humanities Medal during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on July 10, 2013 in Washington, DC. Didion is recognized for her mastery of style in writing. (Photo by Pete Marovich/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY – SEPTEMBER 24: Joan Didion attends The American Theatre Wing’s 2012 Annual Gala at The Plaza Hotel on September 24, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images)
NEW YORK – MARCH 29: Director David Hare, writer Joan Didion and actress Vanessa Redgrave take the stage during cutain call for the opening night of “The Year Of Magical Thinking” at the Booth theater on March 29, 2007 in New York City. (Photo by Bryan Bedder/Getty Images)
CAMBRIDGE, MA – JUNE 4: Writer Joan Didion receives an Honorary Doctor of Letters during commencement ceremonies June 4, 2009 in Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, this year marks the 358th year of graduation ceremonies at the university, considered the oldest in the nation. (Photo by Darren McCollester/Getty Images)
FILE – Author Joan Didion sits in front of a photo of herself holding her daughter, Quintana Roo, and another picture of her daughter’s wedding, in her New York apartment Sept. 26, 2005. Didion, the revered author and essayist whose provocative social commentary and detached, methodical literary voice made her a uniquely clear-eyed critic of a uniquely turbulent time, has died. She was 87. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
Joan Didion, seen here in 2009, died from complications from Parkinson’s disease, according to her publisher. (Photo by Rick Gershon/Getty Images)