Science fiction author Arthur C Clarke dies aged 90

[RMNIXON]

Science fiction author Arthur C Clarke dies aged 90



March 18, 2008

Science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke has died aged 90 in his adopted home of Sri Lanka, it was confirmed tonight.

Clarke, who had battled debilitating post-polio syndrome since the 1960s and sometimes used a wheelchair, died at 1:30 a.m. after suffering breathing problems, aide Rohan De Silva said.

The visionary author of over 100 books, who predicted the existance of satellites, was most famous for his novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, and for his collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick on the film of the same name

He was also credited with the concept of communications satellites in 1945, decades before they became a reality.

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Clarke was the last surviving member of what was sometimes known as the "Big Three" of science fiction alongside Robert A. Heinlein and Isaac Asimov.
The son of an English farming family, Clarke was born in the seaside town of Minehead, Somerset, England on December 16, 1917.

Science fiction author Arthur C Clarke dies aged 90 - Times Online

A great author from my youth. What an imaginative story teller! I also remember seeing him on TV in the 80's when his health was better, and his sense of humor. He will be missed!

[bheld]

I think he's got a pretty good legacy shored up. I loved his books when I was a kid.

[Publius]

Clarke was one of the best. A lot of science fiction authors today get caught up in describing these outlandish technologies and focus on them to the detriment of their characters.

Clarke wove both together to the point that you were awed by the technology imagined, but oftentimes you forgot about the fact that these were sensational technologies, it was a story about characters.