“A.R. Gurney, the playwright who in such comedies as ‘The Dining Room,’ ‘The Middle Ages’ and ‘Sylvia’ chronicled the foibles and fantasies of the well-heeled American WASPS of which he was a quintessential exemplar, died Tuesday at his home on the Upper West Side of Manhattan,” Deadline.com reports.

Gurney was 86.

Gurney, who was widely known as Pete, is probably best remembered for “Love Letters,” which Deadline calls “his epistolary two-hander describing the lives of childhood friends that has become a staple of fundraisers with guest stars and resident theaters with small budgets.” The 1988 play was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

A playwright, novelist and academic, Gurney’s other works included “Sweet Sue” and “The Cocktail Hour.”