Arthur C. Clarke: 1917-2008
The newswires are spreading the news that Arthur C. Clarke has just died in his adopted home of Sri Lanka at the age of 90.
Clarke will be known to most of the world as the writer of 2001: A Space Odyssey along with other science fiction classics as Childhood’s End, Rendevous With Rama and The Nine Billion Names Of God, but his influence on the world was far greater– he was the most influential advocate for creating satellites with geostationary orbits to be used as telecommunications relays.
For his achievements in writing science fiction and science fact, he was knighted by the British Empire in 2000.
We will miss him terribly.
Oh my. He was really the last of the Grand Old Men of SF, wasn't he? I'm glad he had such a long life on this earth and has been so influential to so many of us.
Yeah – I consider the big three to be Robert A. Heinlein, Isaac Asimov, and Arthur C. Clarke. And really they all came from John W. Campbell's ASTOUNDING (Analog). Of course I'm more of a PLANET STORIES guy myself – and that crew left the planet a long while ago.
May he rest in peace.2001: A Space Odyssey, a definite classic.
A great loss.