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Richard Matheson dies at age 87 - SciFiNow

Richard Matheson dies at age 87

Science fiction legend and I Am Legend author Richard Matheson dead aged 87

Richard MathesonIconic author Richard Matheson, the writer of beloved books including I Am Legend, What Dreams May Come, Hell House, The Shrinking Man and A Stir of Echoes, has died at the age of 87.

Matheson’s influence on the genre was enormous, and his huge body of work includes novels, short stories, and film and television scripts. He was instrumental in the early years of The Twilight Zone (writing ‘Nightmare At 20,000 Feet’), he wrote the screenplays for Roger Corman’s Edgar Allan Poe adaptations The Raven and The Pit And The Pendulum and the Hammer classic Dennis Wheatley adaptation The Devil Rides Out, and adapted his short story Duel for Steven Spielberg’s TV movie.

Recent years have seen his works turned into films as varied as The Box, Real Steel and the third attempt to adapt I Am Legend. The influence of his work has been felt in the work of Stephen King, George A Romero and Chris Carter, and it will continue to be seen in generations of writers to come. The genre has lost one of its masters.