'Where the Wild Things Are' Author Maurice Sendak is Dead at 83

Maurice Sendak, the gay author of iconic children's books like Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen, has died at 83.

The cause was complications from a recent stroke, said Michael di Capua, his longtime editor.

Sendak came out of the closet publicly in 2008 in an interview with the New York Times:

"Was there anything he had never been asked? He paused for a few moments and answered, 'Well, that I’m gay...I just didn’t think it was anybody’s business,' Mr. Sendak added. He lived with Eugene Glynn, a psychoanalyst, for 50 years before Dr. Glynn’s death in May 2007. He never told his parents: 'All I wanted was to be straight so my parents could be happy. They never, never, never knew.' Children protect their parents, Mr. Sendak said. It was like the time he had a heart attack at 39. His mother was dying from cancer in the hospital, and he decided to keep the news to himself, something he now regrets. A gay artist in New York is not exactly uncommon, but Mr. Sendak said that the idea of a gay man writing children books would have hurt his career when he was in his 20s and 30s."

Sendak recently appeared in two genius interviews with Stephen Colbert. If you missed them, makes sure to take a look HERE and HERE.

In Part 2 of His Genius Interview, Colbert and Maurice Sendak Get High on Markers: VIDEO

Stephen Colbert continues his brilliant interview with gay Where the Wild Things Are and In the Night Kitchen author Maurice Sendak by dishing on other children's book authors and getting high on markers.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

Don't miss PART ONE, which I posted yesterday. Watch it HERE.

Maurice Sendak Gives a Genius Interview to Stephen Colbert: VIDEO

Stephen Colbert sits down with Where the Wild Things Are and In The Night Kitchen author Maurice (don't say he writes for children) Sendak, and talks about a variety of topics including Newt Gingrich, Sendak's smutty books, and how he is possibly allowed to write for children as a gay man.

Watch, AFTER THE JUMP...

(via buzzfeed)

Wild Things on the Boston 'T'

Writes Casey Donahue: "Ran into these guys on the train. They win Halloween."

Sorry about the location mix-up guys. As a New Yorker I should have my Metrocard revoked.

Where the Wild Things Are Trailer Arrives

Childhood tales are new again as the first trailer for the Spike Jonze adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are hits the internet. Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

News: Pedro Zamora, Pakistan, Judy Shepard, Venezuela, Adam Senn

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A shirtless Ed Westwick spotted proving he loves women.

Gay Pakistani man now living in New York tells Newsweek how a threat forced him out of the closet in Karachi: "He told me to drive again, and as we drove around for what seemed like hours, I had a vague sense that I needed to play his game and find a way to survive this ordeal. He demanded that I admit homosexuality was a sin, and I eventually complied. I also promised to meet him at a hotel the following day, where he would tell me how much money he wanted. He warned me that he had my car's license-plate number, and that he'd track me down if I didn't show."

Ciara debuts new video for "Love Sex Magic" with Justin Timberlake.

A whole bundle of Wild Things photos now out in the wild...

GQ profile on gay bishop Gene Robinson, Hendrik Hertzberg's New Yorker editorial on Prop 8 victory among nominees for National Magazine Awards.

Muslim cleric Anjem Choudary calls for gays to be stoned to death at London press conference: "'If a man likes another man, it can happen, but if you go on to fulfil your desire, if it is proved, then there is a punishment to follow. You don't stone to death unless there are four eyewitnesses. It is a very stringent procedure. 'There are some people who are attracted to donkeys but that does not mean it is right.'"

The son of poet Sylvia Plath, who took her own life at 30 by gassing herself in an oven, hanged himself at home after a battle with depression.

Gay Missouri man who claimed his businesses were targeted by an arsonist because he's gay is charged with burning the businesses himself: "The fires destroyed the three businesses and investigators said graffiti left at the fire scene initially appeared to support Thornton's claims to media outlets that he was being targeted for his sexual orientation and that the arson was a hate crime. Larson and Smith were charged Thursday following an investigation by Stockton police, the state fire marshal's office and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms."

Alleged anti-gay attack in Atlanta questioned after surveillance cameras reveal nothing: Atlanta police "not taking stand" on legitimacy of hate crime.

Male model fix: The City's Adam Senn.

Hookies: Even gay hustlers have their own awards show.

Figure skaters getting pulled into a sequined vortex. Johnny Weir: "To be accepted worldwide, American skaters need to understand that excess is necessary. And yes, I take credit for that. I'm a firm believer that if you're a figure skater, you should wear a figure skating costume. You can't just wear all black and skate to Beethoven. There needs to be a story, and you're the storyteller."

Lesbian couple boycotts Napa after City Council declines to pass resolution supporting same-sex marriage.

Venezuela's 'Organic Bill for Gender Equality' on fast track: "it would include language allowing 'the union between two people of the same gender' in the form of something she called 'co-inhabiting associations'."

Judy Shepard brings message of need for tolerance to 4,000 professional school counselors in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Vancouver Fountainhead Pub assault not likely to be labeled a hate crime because those involved were playing pool together beforehand?: "The victim of the assault, Ritchie Dowie, a father of two, remains in grave condition in hospital with massive head injuries and is not expected to recover. The incident occurred in the Fountainhead Pub on Davie St., March 13, at about 8 p.m. Vancouver’s gay community have labeled the assault a hate crime following allegations that Woodward called Dowie a 'faggot' when he was apprehended by other patrons of the pub following the assault. Woodward’s counsel Joel Whysall said Friday that there was no evidence a hate crime had been committed."