Author Michael Crichton Dies At Age 66

[Tami]

Official Statement

Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park author, dies of cancer
Michael Crichton, the best-selling author of Jurassic Park and creator of ER, has died of cancer aged 66.

Crichton died in Los Angeles "after a courageous and private battle against cancer," his website said.

He was born in Chicago in October 1942 and graduated from Harvard University 22 years later, before attending Harvard Medical School.

His first book, The Andromeda Strain, was published in 1969 while he was attending medical school.

He was most famously known for his book Jurassic Park, which was turned into a film in 1993 directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Sam Neill and Jeff Goldblum.

The film was at the time the most successful of all time and is currently the 11th-highest-grossing feature film.

Crichton also wrote the sequel to Jurassic Park, The Lost World, which was also turned into a film.

He was the author of numerous blockbusters, some of which sold more than 100 million copies, and which were translated in 30 languages worldwide.

Despite his illness, a statement on MichaelCrichton.net said he died "unexpectedly" in Los Angeles.

The statement added: "While the world knew him as a great storyteller that challenged our preconceived notions about the world around us - and entertained us all while doing so - his wife Sherri, daughter Taylor, family and friends knew Michael Crichton as a devoted husband, loving father and generous friend who inspired each of us to strive to see the wonders of our world through new eyes. He did this is a wry sense of humour that those who were privileged to know him personally will never forget.

"Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand.

"He will be profoundly missed by those whose lives he touched, but he leaves behind the greatest gifts of a thirst for knowledge, the desire to understand, and the wisdom to use our minds to better our world."

Crichton's family asked for privacy during this "difficult time" and added that a funeral service was expected, although no further details were available.

[Jim]

<img src=\'http://www.killanet.net/forum3/public/s ... #>/cry.gif\' class=\'bbc_emoticon\' alt=\':(\' /> He was a good author, I liked his style of writing.

[Tami]

Indeed - I appreciated his talent for putting so many twists and turns in his suspense tales without giving away a thing unless he wanted the reader to get some tidbit of information.