The 57-year-old Rector, diagnosed with colon cancer and a heart condition, shot himself Wednesday, the New York Post reported Thursday.

His wife, Tree Swenson, found him and a suicide note, the contents of which weren't revealed, police said.

His books of poetry include "The Sorrow of Architecture," "American Prodigal," and "The Executive Director of the Fallen World." His works have been published in the Paris Review, The New Republic, Plowshares and The Hudson Review.

Rector founded and directed the graduate writing seminars at Bennington College in Vermont and taught at Columbia University, The New School in New York, and Emerson College in Boston.

Friends expressed shock at the news of Rector's death.

"He had an enormous appetite for life," said Frank Bidart, a friend and poet. "He survived terrible illnesses -- colon cancer and a bad heart -- and overcame both of them."