I just finished reading Timequake, his memoir inside a sci-fi story, a few days ago. I enjoyed it thoroughly, especially when Kilgore Trout, a recurring character in his books, would comment on the stories of Vonnegut’s life. He wrote with a dark but hilarious sense of humor and often used this humor to make biting social and moral statements. Not only that, but he also did the illustrations for some of his books.

Kurt Vonnegut, whose dark comic talent and urgent moral vision in novels like “Slaughterhouse-Five,” “Cat’s Cradle” and “God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater” caught the temper of his times and the imagination of a generation, died Wednesday night in Manhattan. He was 84 and had homes in Manhattan and in Sagaponack on Long Island.

His death was reported by Morgan Entrekin, a longtime family friend, who said Mr. Vonnegut suffered brain injuries as a result of a fall several weeks ago.