Christopher Hitchens, 1949-2011

British-born essayist, social critic, and political pundit Christopher Hitchens died Thursday in Houston of complications from esophageal cancer, according to a statement from Vanity Fair, where he was a contributing editor. He was 62.

"[He was] a man of ferocious intellect," said Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. "There will never be another like Christopher. . . . Those who read him felt they knew him, and those who knew him were profoundly fortunate souls."

Considered one of the world's most influential public intellectuals, Mr. Hitchens was a hit on the lecture circuit and a frequent guest on news shows, earning a reputation as a fierce contrarian. He was notorious for his divisive opinions on religion (he was an avowed atheist), his unwavering support of the Iraq war, and his anti-Zionism.

Novelist Salman Rushdie on Friday tweeted, "Goodbye, my beloved friend. A great voice falls silent. A great heart stops."

In death, no less than in life, Mr. Hitchens divided opinion. Most agree that he was a fine writer regardless of his ideology.

"His contribution to the public debate can't be measured," said Philadelphia linguist and political analyst William Lutz . "I didn't agree with a lot of his positions, but he's mandatory reading. He is an outstanding writer and stylist, engaging, literate, and witty. . . . Everything you'd want if you want to be an essayist."

Lutz, author of Doublespeak, said Mr. Hitchens was steadfast in his beliefs, however unpopular. "He was fearless in the subject matters that he chose . . . to write about," said Lutz. "How many writers declare Mother Teresa was a fraud and a fake?" (In a 1995 book, Mr. Hitchens attacked Mother Teresa as a political opportunist who spread an extremist religious ideology.) 

In a radically different assessment, journalist and political analyst Chris Hedges, who had taken on Mr. Hitchens in a public debate, described him as a man who squandered his talent in exchange for fame.

"The tragedy of Hitchens was that he had the intellect to do something great, but he used his creative gifts for self-promotion throughout his career," Hedges, author of Death of the Liberal Class, said. "He sacrificed nuance for the sound bite."

Adds Hedges, "I don't think he contributed anything to the nation's intellectual life."