Larry L. King, the writer/playwright who inspired "The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," nominated for a Tony Award and was turned into a movie headed by Burt Reynolds, had died on Thursday, December 20, after giving in to his battle against emphysema. He was 83 years old.

His wife, Barbara Blaine, reported that King passed away at Chevy Chase Retirement House, in Washington, where he lived for the past half year. He leaves behind five grown children, three from his first wife and two with Blaine, his third wife.

Blaine said that he had his ups and downs while writing and that he really didn’t view his plays to be as significant as his essays. "One thing that I'll always remember about him is that he stayed funny throughout this illness." Barbara goes on saying, that Larry was one who had a fun-filled life, always with a twinkle in his eyes.

Speaking of funny, Twitter users have mistaken his death for the CNN's former anchor, Larry King. In a reply to set the record straight, Larry King, @kingsthings, tweeted, "While I appreciate the touching tweets - I'm alive (and tweeting!) - but the playwright Larry L. King is the one who recently passed."