Graeme Gibson, whose experimental 1969 novel Five Legs helped break new ground in Canadian fiction, has died at age 85. The author, ornithologist, and conservationist died in London, England, where he was accompanying his partner, Margaret Atwood, on a publicity tour for her new novel, The Testaments.

Atwood released a statement through her publisher, McClelland & Stewart: “We are devastated by the loss of Graeme, our beloved father, grandfather, and spouse, but we are happy that he achieved the kind of swift exit he wanted and avoided the decline into further dementia that he feared. He had a lovely last few weeks, and he went out on a high, surrounded by love, friendship and appreciation. We are grateful for his wise, ethical, and committed life.”

Gibson, who was born in London, Ontario, in 1934, is survived by Eleanor Jess, a daughter with Atwood, and two children from a previous marriage, Matt and Graeme Jr.

In addition to his own writing, which included fiction and non-fiction, he was also a founding member of both The Writers Union of Canada and the Writers’ Trust of Canada. He is a former president of PEN Canada and was invested in the Order of Canada in 1992.

Kristine Cochrane, CEO of Penguin Random House Canada, had this to say in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by the death of such a beloved and distinguished author. Graeme was a friend to several generations of Canadian writers. … We are grateful for that superlative legacy, one that will continue to flourish, and also grateful for our own experiences working with Graeme: a true gentleman, whose gracious, elegant, and witty manner touched all who knew him.”

Q&Q will have a full appreciation of the life and work of Graeme Gibson in the coming days.