Ray Bradbury: Another Great Loss 1920-2012

The science fiction world finds itself, again, sorely without. It’s already making its way around the internet, but Ray Bradbury passed away yesterday (June 5th) in Los Angeles. Both his agent and his daughter, Alexandra, confirmed the passing citing a long-term “illness” as its cause. He was 91 years old.

Though his influence bears little need to mention to those of the SciFi community, others from beyond might need mention that the prolific author is the one who notably penned the dystopian work Fahrenheit 451 and the short story collection The Martian Chronicles. His work has touched every form of media, including influencing film, tv, and stage work and he has received many awards and honors (including, but not limited to an Emmy Award, having an asteroid named after him, the World Fantasy Award life achievement, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame). The Ray Bradbury Award, a yearly honor given by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, is (obviously) named for the great and recognizes excellence in science fiction screenwriting.

The community has suffered the great loss of a man who was before his time, a man who dared to imagine and dream, and one of the most influential writers of the century. His headstone had been sighted while he still lived and is simple, much contrary to the worlds in his books. It simply states “Ray Bradbury/Author of Fahrenheit 451.”

His New York Times obituary is available here and copies of his work are available on Amazon or in bookstores near you.