Reply
Tue 25 Jun, 2013 11:59 am
Richard Matheson (1926 – 2013)
Sad news…io9 is reporting that Richard Matheson has passed away at the age of 87.
Matheson was a giant in the field, writing such classics as I Am Legend (1954), Born of Man and Woman (1954 collection), Third from the Sun (1955 collection), The Shrinking Man (1956), A Stir of Echoes (1958), What Dreams May Come (1978), Richard Matheson’s “The Twilight Zone” Scripts (1998) and Volume Two (2002), Other Kingdoms (2011) and so many more. He has also scripted some of the genre’s most memorable scripts, like The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957), House of Usher (1960), The Pit and the Pendulum (1961), The Raven (1963), The Last Man on Earth (1964 as “Logan Swanson”, based on I Am Legend), The Legend of Hell House (1973, based on his novel), Somewhere in Time (1980, based on his novel), Twilight Zone: The Movie (Fourth segment “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet”, 1983), as well as episodes of Twilight Zone (16 of ‘em!), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, Star Trek: The Original Series (“The Enemy Within”, 1966), Duel (1971), The Night Stalker (1972), Night Gallery, Amazing Stories (1987), and more.
@edgarblythe,
One of the finest fantasy writers of all time. If I saw Matheson's byline on the contents page of a magazine, I'd buy it immediately just for that reason.
I Am Legend is iconic in its conception and execution and has been filmed at least two or three times.
Sad to see him go.
@edgarblythe,
I liked Matheson's work and am sorry that his time on Earth has ended. At least he gave us a lot of material to enjoy for years to come.
@Lustig Andrei,
A friend of mine gave me "I am legend" to read when I was about fourteen. It scared the cr★p out of me, and I was hooked on his stuff from then on.
He was a great writer, and I'm glad that he had a good innings.
@edgarblythe,
Sorry to read this. His passing is a big loss to the literary and cinematic world. I was first aware of him as an early reader in early '60s and a big fan of the orig Twilight Zone series. I put him in the same echelon as Asimov and Ray Bradbury as a fantasy writer.
'Nightmare at 20,000 Feet'', Omega Man', and 'I am Legend' were among some of my faves.
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace