Terry Pratchett has died

[Darth Tanner]

Breaking news on the BBC so no link yet but Terry Pratchett has died aged 66.

[darkjedi521]

From his publisher: http://www.pjsmprints.com/

PJSM Prints - Established 1995
Penguin Random House logo
Terry Pratchett in a field Terry Pratchett - 2011 © Rob Wilkins

It is with immeasurable sadness that we announce that author Sir Terry Pratchett has died at the age of 66.

Larry Finlay, MD at Transworld Publishers:

"I was deeply saddened to learn that Sir Terry Pratchett has died. The world has lost one of its brightest, sharpest minds.

In over 70 books, Terry enriched the planet like few before him. As all who read him know, Discworld was his vehicle to satirize this world: he did so brilliantly, with great skill, enormous humour and constant invention.

Terry faced his Alzheimer's disease (an 'embuggerance', as he called it) publicly and bravely. Over the last few years, it was his writing that sustained him. His legacy will endure for decades to come.

My sympathies go out to Terry's wife Lyn, their daughter Rhianna, to his close friend Rob Wilkins, and to all closest to him."

Terry passed away in his home, with his cat sleeping on his bed surrounded by his family on 12th March 2015. Diagnosed with PCA1 in 2007, he battled the progressive disease with his trademark determination and creativity, and continued to write. He completed his last book, a new Discworld novel, in the summer of 2014, before succumbing to the final stages of the disease.

We ask that the family are left undisturbed at this distressing time.

All enquiries: Lynsey Dalladay, Publicist ldalladay@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk T: 0208 2316793 M: 07920 712543

A Just Giving page donating to the Research Institute to the Care of Older People (RICE) has been set up in his memory: https://www.justgiving.com/Terry-Pratchett

1. Posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) is a progressive degenerative condition involving the loss and dysfunction of brain cells, particularly at the back (posterior) of the brain. alzheimers.org.uk

[LaCroix]

crap.

[Steve]

[Zixinus]

Well, that just made my day suck more.

I liked his work and he seemed a great guy. I am sorry to hear him go.

[Elheru Aran]

Well, fuck.

[Dominus Atheos]

Did he die naturally or commit assisted suicide like he had been wanting to?

[White Haven]

Well. Fuck.

[Iroscato]

BBC link. Apparently he didn't commit suicide. He was a wonderfully inventive man. RIP.
http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-31858156

[The Romulan Republic]

This is a tragic loss. 66 years is far too little time on this Earth.

While I wasn't always a fan of his work, I will fondly remember his skill at encapsulating remarkably complex ideas into memorable, witty, and succinct dialog.

Rest in peace.

[Lagmonster]

His daughter posted a final micro-story via Twitter:

"AT LAST, SIR TERRY, WE MUST WALK TOGETHER." Terry took Death’s arm and followed him through the doors and on to the black desert under the endless night. The End.

[wautd]

[Darth Nostril]

Well .... bugger.

[Sinewmire]

Do you not know that a man is not dead while his name is still spoken?

RIP Terry.

[Sea Skimmer]

LAME. He must have decided he needed to get on with parodying the afterlife.

[Irbis]

Oh

[Crossroads Inc.]

I will weep for the loss from our world of such a legend. As 'famous' as he was, a huge amount of people don't really know just how much he has influenced writing and the Fiction genera. It is deep deep sadness to see him go, His name will live on forever in our hearts, there is so much of his work to remember him by.

[Crazedwraith]

Not unexpected but damn does it hit hard.

RIP Sir Terry

[Jedi Commisar]

First Spock now Sir Terry 2015 is not a good year to be famous it seems

[Enigma]

[Zeropoint]

RIP, Sir Terry. I hope Death broke out the sword for you.

[SpottedKitty]

<sigh>

I'll raise a glass in his memory tonight.

[Batman]

Rest in peace, Sir Terry. Thank you for many an hour of fun and laughter. You will be missed.

[LadyTevar]

From "Reaper Man" --

"In the Ramtop village where they dance the real Morris dance, for example, they believe that no one is finally dead until the ripples they cause in the world die away — until the clock he wound up winds down, until the wine she made has finished its ferment, until the crop they planted is harvested. The span of someone's life, they say, is only the core of their actual existence."

[fnord]

So Death got tired of near-PTerry experiences.

Will there be any more Discworld books (barring those in production when The Final Embuggerance occurred), or will his daughter just administer his considerable literary estate?