Sir Terry Pratchett, the British fantasy author, has died after eight years battling Alzheimer’s Disease. He was 66.
The news of his passing was announced by Transworld Publishers, whose managing director Larry Finlay described the prolific author as “one of [the world’s] brightest, sharpest minds.” He went on to say:
“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.”
Pratchett penned some 70 novels during his career, but is perhaps best known for his expansive fantasy series Discworld. Following the publication of his first tome, The Carpet People in 1971, in 1983 his novel The Color of Magic kickstarted the Discworld universe.
A veritable assembly of genre parody tropes, the books take place within a flat world, situated on the backs of four elephants, who in turn are positioned on a giant turtle. His commitment to the chucklesome series saw him pen some additional 39 novels tied to Discworld. His work inspired many miniseries and TV movies, including Johnny And The Dead, Wyrd Sisters and Hogfather.
Pratchett was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2007 after suffering what he dubbed ‘a phantom stroke.’ The author passed away at home “with his cat sleeping on his bed, surrounded by his family.”
Rest in peace, Sir Pratchett. You will be missed, but your work will never be forgotten.
