Iconic author J.D. Salinger, who is best known for his novel “Catcher In The Rye” and for living in complete isolation for decades, has passed away of natural causes at the age of 91 at his home in Cornish, New Hampshire, on Wednesday (January 27).

Salinger’s family released the following statement, “Despite having broken his hip in May, his health had been excellent until a rather sudden decline after the new year. He was not in any pain before or at the time of his death. The family asks that people’s respect for him, his work, and his privacy be extended to them, individually and collectively, during this time. (…) He will be missed by the few he was close to every bit as much as by the readers who loved reading him.”

R.I.P. J.D. Salinger.