Rest in Peace Richard Matheson

Steve Barton   |  

Jun 24, 2013

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The horror and sci-fi worlds have lost another true legend. We’re very sad to report that acclaimed author Richard Matheson has passed away at age 87.

Matheson’s passing was first announced on Facebook by his daughter, Ali Marie Matheson:

My beloved father passed away yesterday [June 23, 2013] at home surrounded by the people and things he loved…he was funny, brilliant, loving, generous, kind, creative, and the most wonderful father ever…I miss you and love you forever Pop and I know you are now happy and healthy in a beautiful place full of love and joy you always knew was there…

Born in New Jersey on February 20, 1926, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn, New York, published his first science fiction short story in 1950, and became an extremely prolific writer of stories and scripts between 1950 and 1971. Over the course of his career he received a World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement, a Bram Stoker Award for Lifetime Achievement, and he was inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2010.

Some of his most notable works include I Am Legend, The Shrinking Man, What Dreams May Come, Hell House, the script for the Steven Spielberg film Duel, and many “Twilight Zone” scripts; and he also adapted the works of Edgar Allan Poe for Roger Corman’s Poe series including House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), and The Raven (1963). But that’s really just the tip of the iceberg of the great works he leaves behind.

We here at Dread Central express our condolences to Richard’s family, friends, and fans worldwide. He will be missed indeed; however, his influence will live on forever.

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