Major literary figures from around the world mourned the passing of American playwright Arthur Miller, calling him a leader in both literature and life.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning author, who died on Thursday night at his home in Connecticut, aged 89, had been suffering from cancer, pneumonia and a heart condition.

"He was a landmark, he was a leader, and I was extremely attached to him," British playwright Harold Pinter said, calling Miller's plays some of the finest works produced in the last century.

"He was unremitting and remorseless in using his critical intelligence. He did this both as a man and as a playwright, and that's why he's such a remarkable figure," Pinter said in remarks taped by the BBC.