Arthur C. Clarke, a writer whose seamless blend of scientific expertise and poetic imagination helped usher in the space age, died early Wednesday in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he had lived since 1956. He was 90.
Rohan de Silva, an aide to Mr. Clarke, said the author died after experiencing breathing problems, The Associated Press reported. Mr. Clarke had post-polio syndrome for the last two decades and used a wheelchair.
From his detailed forecast of telecommunications satellites in 1945, more than a decade before the first orbital rocket flight, to his co-creation, with the director Stanley Kubrick, of the classic science fiction film “2001: A Space Odyssey,” Mr. Clarke was both prophet and promoter of the idea that humanity’s destiny lay beyond the confines of Earth.
Mr. Clarke’s influence on public attitudes toward space was acknowledged by American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts, by scientists like the astronomer Carl Sagan and by movie and television producers. Gene Roddenberry credited Mr. Clarke’s writings with giving him courage to pursue his “Star Trek” project in the face of indifference, even ridicule, from television executives.
One of the best.
Thanks for leaving us all these wonderful stories. Your spirit lives on.
Bummer!!! Have read dozens of his books. Guess I’ll have to read all of them in his honor.
A great science fiction writer, and not a bad ping-pong player either, by many accounts.
Mr. Clarke’s message to mankind, recorded sometime before his 90th birthday.
[edit: – normally we try to be polite; but, fools who repeat disproven tabloid allegations deserve less than that]
[takes the time to repeat the allegations – again, refuted – we’re not wasting space on this crap]
Knighthood and false accusation
In early 1998 Clarke was scheduled to be made a knight, with Prince Charles visiting Sri Lanka in order to make the investiture. Just before the ceremony, a British tabloid, The Sunday Mirror, claimed in a sensationalist story that Clarke was an avowed paedophile, giving supposed quotations from Clarke about the harmlessness of his predilection for boys. Clarke released a statement saying that “the accusations are such nonsense that I have found it difficult to treat them with the contempt that they deserve.” He also said, “I categorically state that The Sunday Mirror’s article is grossly defamatory and contains statements which in themselves and by innuendo are quite false, grossly inaccurate and extremely harmful.” He later asked that the investiture of his knighthood be delayed “in order to avoid embarrassment to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales during his visit to Sri Lanka.” In answer to the newspaper’s allegations, Clarke was investigated by Sri Lankan authorities, with the accusations eventually being dismissed. The newspaper later printed a retraction and Clarke was made a Knight Bachelor on May 26, 2000, in a ceremony in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
OR
SRI LANKA will close its investigation of science fiction writer Sir Arthur C Clarke unless a British newspaper hands over evidence to support its allegation that he was a paedophile, a government official said yesterday.
Police sought the tape recording of an interview conducted by the Sunday Mirror on which it based its allegation that Sir Arthur had sex with children, but the paper had not responded to repeated requests, said CR De Silva, the Sri Lankan government additional solicitor-general.
“We have approached Interpol. Our embassy in London did its best. In short, we did everything, but the tape has not come,” de Silva said.
“Our investigations in Sri Lanka have not found any evidence against him.
“Keeping this in view, and the situation that we are unable to get the tape, we will have no option but to close the case,” he said.
Sir Arthur’s office said his lawyers were discussing with government officials how to close the file.
He has strenuously denied the allegations made against him.
The Sunday Mirror published its story in February, a few days before the 80-year-old writer was to be knighted by the Prince of Wales who was visiting Sri Lanka at that time. The ceremony was postponed at Sir Arthur’s request.
Police questioned the author and three of the four men quoted by the British tabloid newspaper as having claimed to have had sex or discussed sex with him.
Sri Lanka asked Interpol in April to get the interview tape from the newspaper. A reminder was sent a month later. The Sri Lankan High Commission in London also attempted to get the tape from the Sunday Mirror.
There is tons of stuff on the web about this. It’s not the first time the Daily Mirror has done something like this. The only thing dumber that tabloid trash are people who still believe it 10 years later. Learn you to use the InterGoogle thingie….
[thanks – the editors]
RIP, even though we never met in person his work was an inspiration to a struggling young boy of the baby boom generation. Sir, you have given me a gift and I wish your essence a happy journey.
Well said, my feelings exactly.
helped to introduce many to Scifi
my favorite quote… “The truth, as always, will be far stranger.”
A shame that, due to war and its costs, Sir Arthur was not able to see many of his ideas come to fruition. The ISS is but a shadow of what he and others of the Golden Age dreamed. We’re no closer to Mars today than 50 years ago. There are no colonies on the Moon.
Yet one of his best inventions, communications satellites, has enriched 3 generations.
Godspeed, Sir Arthur. Your hardware may be gone but your software will live on for many, many years.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qLdeEjdbWE
[edit: off topic]
#6 – JPV
From BBC:
Trivia–
When asked, “Why did you move to Sri Lanka?” (then Ceylon), what was Sir Arthur’s answer?
#15 – BubbaRay
He liked scuba diving.
Perhaps his greatest writing was a few years ago, when he said that Star Trek was terrible and good riddance. We can’t say the same about him.
Ah, so we now hear that ACC was a sexual deviate, too. No problem, we who live in NY State USA are quite used to this (geniuses are often screwed up people…who cares? What else is new).
The geo-stationary position of satellites in a “Clarke Orbit” may never become a common phrase, but maybe he’ll be remembered with some new exoplanet named after him, which of course would be just as appropriate.
A random pick of his numerous writings that I’ve enjoyed might be his short story “The Swarm”, a tale that would make a great animated movie, even if they left out the snappy ending.
With Asimov long gone … is no one left in that league?
I’ll miss him. Clark and Asimov started a life long interest in Science Fiction for me. He was also an interesting guy pioneering geosynchronous satellites and starting the Arthur C Clark foundation to support creativity in math and the sciences.
He was stricken with polio in the 60’s and was sometimes confined in a wheelchair but moved to Sri Lanka for the scuba diving – he was completely mobile underwater. He raised money for and supported a great many charities, notably Mother Teresa’s sisters and Tsunami relief.
I feel a large scotch and re-read of the Nine Billion Names of God coming.
[edit: comments guide]
God Bless Arthur, he left us memories of what it means to dream.
His biggest contribution doesn’t get mentioned much — the idea of geostationary communications satellites.
That’s beyond huge.
Farewell, Mister Clarke.
His ideas and his writings, the fruits of his great mind, are forever with us, and we thank him for that.
He was one of the last Great Men of the 20th Century. His memory will live on for years.
[edit: comments guide]
Clarke is one of those people that have done enough to leave a mark on this planet.
Thank you for making our world just that much better.
“Open the pod bay door HAL.” – Dave Bowman
Rough crowd hangs out on this blog. Pretty sad when one of the most edited (rightly) threads in recent times is a guys obituary.
Probably fewer trolls than many other sites, though. We may have sincere political differences, science v. religion, etc…but, few outright idiots.
Now, don’t quote me on that.
Here is a weird one. I was remembering his book and one came to mind that I started reading but lost on the set of a movie. I would swear it was titled 2063. Now this was almost 15 years ago so my memory is not all that good about it. As it appears there was never a book titled 2063 by Arthur C. Clarke. The weird part is I am not the only person out there that thinks this book existed. Look it up their are tons of people. I think it might be our brains taking “2061: Odyssey Three” and somehow changing it to 2063. Anyone else done that?