Prominent novelist E.L. Doctorow dies at 84

E.L. Doctorow, one of the most accomplished novelists in the United States in recent decades, best known for his historical fiction, died on Tuesday at the age of 84, US media reports said.

The award-winning author of historical novels such as Ragtime, Billy Bathgate and The March, died in a New York hospital of complications from lung cancer, his son, Richard Doctorow, told The New York Times.

The Bronx-born son of second-generation Russian Jews, Doctorow wielded a writing style that was bold and unusual, giving him the reputation of a creative experimenter.