'Ragtime' author E.L. Doctorow dies at 84

NEW YORK, July 21 (UPI) -- The National Book Award-winning author of Ragtime and Billy Bathgate, E.L. Doctorow, died Tuesday in New York, his family said. He was 84.

The author's son, Richard, told The New York Times his father died of complications from lung cancer. Doctorow's agent, Ron Bernstein, confirmed the news to the Los Angeles Times.

Doctorow was known for writing historical fiction in the form of a dozen novels, three volumes of short fiction and a stage drama. He also wrote essays on literature and politics. He won the National Book Award for his novel, Ragtime, which was later adapted into a Broadway musical.

His most recent novel, Andrew's Brain, was published in 2014.