Fantasy novelist and podcaster Anton Strout died last Wednesday at the age of 50, Tor.com reports.

Strout’s death was first revealed by the Twitter account for The Once and Future Podcast, which he hosted for six years. No cause of death was given.

“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share that our beloved host and curator of content, @antonstrout, has passed away yesterday,” the tweet read. “He loved his listeners and your loyalty and support meant the world to him.”

Strout, a former Penguin Random House employee, made his literary debut in 2008 with the novel Dead to Me, about a psychometrist who trades his life of crime for a career in New York’s “Department of Extraordinary Affairs.” Three sequels would follow: Deader Still, Dead Matter, and Dead Waters.

He also wrote a trilogy of fantasy novels called The Spellmason Chronicles. The first book in the series, Alchemystic, was published in 2012.

Strout’s admirers paid tribute to him on Twitter. Author Michael R. Underwood wrote, “I’m heartbroken to learn of the passing of Anton Strout. Anton was a caring colleague and a tireless champion of books from his bookselling to podcasting and more.”

And writer Seanan McGuire tweeted, “I’m crushed and sad that Anton Strout has left us. He was one of the first people to welcome me to urban fantasy. We’re less without him.”

Several of Strout’s fans urged people to contribute to a GoFundMe fundraiser that has been set up to raise money for the author’s widow and twin children.

Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.