John Kenneth Galbraith, an influential liberal economist and author of "The Affluent Society," has died at age 97, The New York Times reported on Sunday.
Galbraith, a professor emeritus at Harvard University, died on Saturday at a hospital in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the paper said. His most famous work, 1958's "The Affluent Society," became a best-seller. In it he argued that the United States had become rich in consumer goods but poor in social services.
British Finance Minister Gordon Brown said Galbraith would not be forgotten. "John Kenneth Galbraith was a brilliant economist and writer and a great friend of the United Kingdom and his books will be widely read in generations to come," Brown told Reuters.