Salter passed away after collapsing during a physical therapy session at a gym in Sag Harbor, New York on Friday (19Jun15).

He quit his job in the United States Air Force when his debut novel The Hunters, based on his experiences in the Korean War, was published in 1956. It was adapted into a film starring Robert Mitchum and Robert Wagner in 1958.

Salter then tried his hand at scriptwriting and wrote the screenplays for Robert Redford's 1969 drama Downhill Racer, The Appointment and Donald Sutherland's 1981 sci-fi drama Threshold. He also write and directed 1969 film Three, starring Charlotte Rampling.

Salter returned to novels after one script was rejected, and he turned it into the 1979 book Solo Faces. He wrote a string of novels and memoirs over the years, and his most recent publication was 2013 book All That Is.