The Tragic Death Of Author Anne Rice
Author Anne Rice, née Howard Allen O'Brien, died on December 11, per The New York Times. She was 80 years old. Rice's son, Christopher, posted about her death on the author's Facebook fan page. He wrote that she died from complications from a stroke, though there was no information given on where she was. Christopher penned a sweet note to his mother, talking about the impact she had on him both as a son and as an author, and also applauded the fans for their contributions to the Facebook page.
"In her final hours, I sat beside her hospital bed in awe of her accomplishments and her courage, awash in memories of a life that took us from the fog laced hills of the San Francisco Bay Area to the magical streets of New Orleans to the twinkling vistas of Southern California," he wrote in part. "Anne will be interred in our family's mausoleum at Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans in a private ceremony. Next year, a celebration of her life will take place in New Orleans." He noted that the public — including "her friends, readers and fans who brought her such joy and inspiration throughout her life" — will be invited to attend.
Rice was born and raised in New Orleans, something that seemed to greatly influence her literary work, so it is appropriate for her celebration of life to take place there.
Anne Rice revitalized the vampire genre
Although Anne Rice was a prolific author, she was most notable for her "Vampire Chronicles" collection, reported The New York Times. This series included her iconic debut novel, "Interview With the Vampire," and "Queen of the Damned," which both became movies. "Interview With the Vampire" starred Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise and became a critical success, per IMDb. Rice would go on to write numerous more books about the vampire Lestat and the lore surrounding his life, publishing the most recent book in the series in 2018. Her series rekindled the love of vampires in modern culture and paved the way for other iconic vampire series and shows, like the "Twilight" series and "The Southern Vampire Mysteries," which would be adapted into the TV show "True Blood."
Rice didn't just dive into the vampire genre, however. Under a series of pen names, she wrote erotic fiction and had recently begun to explore Christian themes in her writing. According to The New York Times, Rice grew up Roman Catholic but became disillusioned with the Church in her teens. Later in life, however, she seemed to find peace with the Catholic teachings and wrote a memoir about her spiritual journey. This experience with Catholicism was also apparent in many of her writings.
With such a large and wide-ranging bibliography, Rice will most likely be remembered for years to come, potentially even reaching immortality, just like her most notable protagonist.