Poet and publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti, whose City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco became a West Coast literary haven for Beat Generation writers like Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, has died at the age of 101, City Lights said on Tuesday.

Ferlinghetti, who played a key role in a free-speech battle after he published Ginsberg¡¯s poem ¡°Howl¡± in 1956, passed away on Monday evening, said City Lights Books on Twitter, adding ¡°We love you, Lawrence.¡±

When Ferlinghetti turned 100 on March 24, 2019, San Francisco officials declared it Lawrence Ferlinghetti Day. City Lights threw a party, although the honoree did not attend due to failing eyesight and trouble in getting around.