Arthur C. Clarke, 1917-2008.

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By Alison Willmore on 03/19/2008

Filed under: Memoriam

Ach, more death. Inventor, science fiction novelist and co-writer of "2001: A Space Odyssey" Arthur C. Clarke has passed away at age 90, after struggling with post-polio syndrome for almost 20 years. In December of last year, on his 90th birthday, Clarke recorded a goodbye message to his fans that can be found here on YouTube, saying "I now spend a good part of my day dreaming of times past, present and future...Being completely wheelchaired doesn't stop my mind from roaming the universe. On the contrary, in my time I've been very fortunate to have seen many of my dreams come true."

The LA Times has rerun an interview with Clarke from 2001:

I have a DVD player at the house. The other day, Dan Richtor, who played the ape with the bone in "2001," was here and I posed him beside the TV set showing that image. [Richtor now does payroll work for entertainment companies]. I labeled the picture: "From ape to L.A. executive in one lifetime. Is this progress?"

In his submission for Wired's 2006 six word story collection, Clarke bent the rules and went to ten words: "God said, 'Cancel Program GENESIS.' The universe ceased to exist."

[Photo: "2001: A Space Odyssey, MGM, 1968]