Wilson, whose work was often characterized by distinct lighting and the expansion of time, worked with art world luminaries like Laurie Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Allen Ginsberg, and

Robert Wilson, known as a writer and director of avant-garde theater, has died at age 83. Wilson, who was gay, died Thursday at his home in Water Mill, New York, after a short illness, Chris Green, the executor of his estate and president of the Robert Wilson Arts Foundation, told The New York Times.

Robert Wilson, an experimental theater stage director, playwright, founder and artistic director of The Watermill Center, died on July 31. He was 83. Wilson’s death was confirmed on his personal website.