Poet and publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti, whose City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco became a West Coast literary haven for Beat Generation writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, has died at the age of 101, City Lights said on Tuesday.
Ferlinghetti, who played a key role in a free-speech battle after he published Ginsberg's poem "Howl" in 1956, passed away on Monday evening, said City Lights Books on Twitter, adding "We love you, Lawrence."
When Ferlinghetti turned 100 on March 24, 2019, San Francisco officials declared it Lawrence Ferlinghetti Day. City Lights threw a party, although the honoree did not attend due to failing eyesight and trouble in getting around.