Vidal poses in his Italian villa in 2004. (Franco Origlia/Getty)
As news of Gore Vidal's death spread on Wednesday, the celebrated American writer's name began trending as fans took to Twitter to remember his immensely quotable—and tweetable—work.
"Half of the American people have never read a newspaper," the filmmaker Michael Moore wrote, quoting Vidal. "Half never voted for president. One hopes it is the same half."
"By the time a man gets to be presidential material, he's been bought ten times over," Twitter user Paul Weiskel wrote, relaying another Vidal quote.
"Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies," British writer Owen Jones wrote on Twitter, reciting the essayist.
"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say and not giving a damn," read a Vidal quote tweeted by Courtney Love.
"A narcissist is someone better looking than you are," @NYCSportsFan14 wrote, citing yet another quote from the acerbic author.
"Last year I heard him say, 'Cemeteries are the most beautiful things in America; I know more people in them than outside,'" Amitav Ghosh tweeted.
"Norman Mailer punched Gore Vidal at a party after a bad review," Nicholas Pegg recalled on Twitter. "Still on the floor, Vidal declared: 'Once again, words fail Norman Mailer.'"
Others Twitter users paid their respects to Vidal in a more conventional 140-character way.
"Gore Vidal was incredible," Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea tweeted. "Dear god, more like him please."
"Gore Vidal is dead," the comedian Marc Maron wrote. "The truth just took a big hit."
"Gore Vidal [ran] out of enemies to outlive," Salon's Alex Pareene tweeted.
Vidal was "the greatest essayist of our age," @nationbooks, a Twitter feed for Nation magazine's book imprint, declared. "Inimitable, funny, wise. We will miss him."
"I imagine Gore Vidal will get to heaven and find it terribly bland," Krishnan Guru-Murthy wrote. "I hope he somehow sends us back a review."
Steven Amiri quipped: "I hope Gore Vidal haunts a Chick-fil-A."
"Gore Vidal's death is most fittingly described by an anagram of his name: large void," @leahycoo wrote. "Wait, scratch that. valid ogre."
"Gore Vidal is trending above #ThingsThatLeadToSex," Jeff Porper noted. "I think he'd appreciate that a little."