--- title: Tracy Letts: Edward Albee Was an Icon of American Theater description: Actor Tracy Letts remembers playwright Edward Albee, an icon of the American theater, who died Sept. 16 at age 88. canonical: https://time.com/4503459/tracy-letts-edward-albee-playwright/ author: Tracy Letts article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-09-21T21:32:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T00:44:53.887Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Tracy Letts: Edward Albee Was an Icon of American Theater og:description: Edward Albee, an icon of the American theater, died at age 88 og:url: https://time.com/4503459/tracy-letts-edward-albee-playwright/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd39ffcc2e8ea45c/6988a70f8e0601a78b4678eb/edward-albee-tracy-letts.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: 2012 Players Foundation Hall Of Fame Induction og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Tracy Letts: Edward Albee Was an Icon of American Theater twitter:description: Edward Albee, an icon of the American theater, died at age 88 twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltbd39ffcc2e8ea45c/6988a70f8e0601a78b4678eb/edward-albee-tracy-letts.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Tracy Letts: Edward Albee Was an Icon of American Theater > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=f10e44fa-9079-46bb-9334-856775ea8069&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) by [Tracy Letts](https://time.com/author/tracy-letts/) ## Tracy Letts Sep 21, 2016 9:32 PM UTC  Playwright Edward Albee attends the 2012 Players Foundation Hall Of Fame Induction on Sept. 30, 2012 in New York City. Playwright Edward Albee attends the 2012 Players Foundation Hall Of Fame Induction on Sept. 30, 2012 in New York City. Neilson Barnard—Getty Images by [Tracy Letts](https://time.com/author/tracy-letts/) ## Tracy Letts Sep 21, 2016 9:32 PM UTC It’s hard to imagine the kind of gravity that words had with a ferociously intelligent man like [Edward Albee](http://time.com/4498003/edward-albee-playwright-dead/?xid=homepage), who died Sept. 16 at age 88\. He chose them and ordered them—meticulously—not only in his [great works of drama](http://time.com/4498113/edward-albee-dead-play-reviews/) like _The Zoo Story_, _A Delicate Balance_ and _Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?_, but also in lectures and casual conversation. I first met him in 2008 when he handed me the New York Drama Critics’ Circle award for my play _August: Osage County_. That was very meaningful to me, to receive it from undoubtedly the greatest playwright of a generation. I was in awe of him. Mr. Albee (he once asked me to call him Edward, but it never felt right) led the charge for a freer form of expression, changing theater and contemporary American life—the way we speak, the way we tell jokes. He shifted long-held beliefs and attitudes about marriage, love and class. He was determined to make trouble—he considered it an essential part of a playwright’s job. He kicked open a door in a conservative world to challenge people and the status quo. He was not interested in making it easy for people to digest pre-chewed ideas. And he never strayed from his idea of what theater should be. He stuck to his guns. Mr. Albee was the last of a group of legendary playwrights who essentially defined American drama. There’s not another one of those guys coming through the door. 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