Writer and artist, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. died Wednesday, April 11, 2007, following brain injury received in a fall at his Manhattan home a few weeks earlier.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 11, 1922, Vonnegut began writing in high school and wrote for the school paper while attending Cornell University. He left Cornell to serve in the US Army during World War 2 and was taken prisoner by the German Army following several days behind the lines during the Battle of the Bulge. While a prisoner of war, he survived the firebombing of Dresden in an underground meat storage locker - an experience that influenced several of his works.

His first published fiction was "Report on the Barnhouse Effect," which appeared in 1950 in Collier's. Vonnegut soon began writing full time and went on to publish essays, plays, 2 biographical collages, 3 short story collections and at least 15 novels including such memorable science fiction works as Cat's Cradle, The Sirens of Titan and Slaughterhouse Five.

Vonnegut's work was adapted for stage, television and motion pictures. An American Icon, he made cameo appearances in a number of movies, most notably portraying himself in Rodney Dangerfield's Back To School.

Posted April 12, 2007